Flood risk reduction—opportunities for learning

Abstract

This chapter examines opportunities for learning in the area of flood risk reduction in Poland, that was devastated by several recent floods, in particular in 1997 and 2010. We can learn from a champion, such as Gilbert F. White, a great visionary who revolutionized flood risk management. We can learn from own past failures of ourselves or from failures of others. However, sometimes, no constructive lessons from own failures are drawn—we learn nothing and we fail again. Finally, we can learn from examples of good solutions and practices, both domestic (such as flood risk reduction initiatives at the grass root level, as well initiatives in the realm of internet and social media) and international (such as US insurance and relocation programs and the Pitt Report, prepared after the 2007 flood in the UK).