IHE Delft 💧 Alumni Online Seminar: Managing flood risk in semi-arid data scarce regions
Channel: IHE Delft Institute for Water Education
Date: 2018-06-11

Globally, incidents of flooding have been on the rise over the last century. In semi arid regions such as the North African and Middle Eastern (MENA),  the World Bank has predicted an increase in flood vulnerability for the region over the next 20 years. The hydrological characteristics of these areas make them prone to flash floods due to short duration events, small area extent, high flood peaks and rapid flows. Combined with increased urbanisation and exposure these areas are subjected to increased flood risk resulting in loss of life and property. As a consequence, there is the need for increased risk knowledge towards the implementation of resilient strategies. This seminar presents a brief introduction to the concepts of flood risk management and an overview of some suitable strategies applicable to coping with flash floods in semi-arid regions. 

About the Speaker 
Adele Young is a recent graduate of IHE Delft having just completed an MSc in Water Science and Engineering with a specialisation in Hydraulic Engineering and River Basin Development. At present, she is a participant in the advanced classes at IHE Delft where she is working towards the publication of her thesis research focused on using hydrological data for the characterisation and early warning of urban flooding in Alexandria, Egypt. Hailing from the island of Trinidad and Tobago, Adele has eight years experience as a civil engineer, most recently working in the area of land and infrastructure development of greenfield and squatter upgrade projects in her home country. Coming from the Caribbean, she has a keen interest in disaster risk reduction, flood risk management and early warning systems especially in regions where data unavailability is seen as a major challenge to understanding and mitigating risk.