Private and Public Responses to Flood Risks

People continue to build and live on land subject to flooding. People do this knowing that their property may be flooded, if not totally destroyed, by raging waters and accompanying debris, however, many do not fully understand and appreciate that risk. As a result, each year on average observes increasing property damage, more lives being threatened and increased degradation of floodplain ecological functions. It can be argued that with regard to floodplain development governmental policies are not preventing it, indeed, they may be facilitating it.