EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT FLOOD RISK

Zaharia Liliana, University of Bucharest, Romania

Abstract

Flood risk mitigation is a major concern of European and national water policies. In recent years, with the passage from the concept of "culture of reaction" (which was oriented mainly on the strict actions for flood defense) to the concept of "culture of risk", the strategies for flood risk management pays an increased attention to the non-structural, preventive measures. Among these, educating people living in floodplains plays an important role. It aims, on the one hand, to inform the population about the risk they are exposed, in order to make them aware of it, and, on the other, to form the appropriate behaviors and attitudes in crisis situations, leading to maximum reduction of flood consequences.
In this paper, measures and actions that intend to ensure the public education on flood risk are presented at different spatial scales (European, national, regional, departmental, communal), based on examples from European countries (France, Switzerland) and Romania. If in Western European countries (of which France is an eloquent example) the actions aiming at educating the population on flood risk are materialized in varied forms and implemented in both governmental bodies and NGOs, in Romania such actions are mostly in the stage of stipulations, included in numerous legislative documents which are regulating the flood risk management from national to local administrations level. The paper is based both on bibliographical research and, on field investigations.