For more than four decades, the Flood Hazard Research Centre has written publications that have shaped the way we look at natural hazards, and in particular flood risk and water management.
Our publications by respected academics include edited and authored books, peer-reviewed academic journal articles, reports for government departments (both in the UK and overseas), consultancy reports, conference proceedings, departmental working papers and monographs.
A selection of our most recent publications are given below. For further information on these and earlier publications, please contact Josie Joyce.
The latest Multi-Coloured Manual has been produced by the FHRC at Middlesex University, in collaboration with the Environment Agency and Defra. The 2013 Manual replaces the 2005 publication. It provides theoretical underpinning of the data and detailed methodology for use in the practical assessment of schemes and policies. Additionally, it explains the limitations and complications of Benefit-Cost Analysis to inform decision-making on investment in river and coastal risk management.
The manual is available to order from Hive.
The annually updated Handbook (and Data) is a companion volume to the 2013 Manual. It is a step-by-step guide that allows the user to carry out economic appraisals for the majority of flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes. The Handbook and Data are available to download under licence from a secure section of the MCM-Online. You may also be interested in our MCM courses, delivered by the authors of the Manual and Handbook. Please visit our Courses page for more information.
History of the Multi-Coloured Manual
In the last four decades, FHRC has produced four Manuals bringing together information on the impacts of flooding and coastal erosion. In 1977, the Blue Manual was the first document to provide guidance on appraising flood hazards in the UK, involving both damage to urban properties and the benefits of protecting agricultural land. This was followed by the Red Manual in 1987, which investigated in greater detail the indirect or secondary effects of floods, as well as updating material on industrial, commercial and retail flood damages. In 1992 we produced the Yellow Manual, which focused on coastal erosion and flooding problems, and systematised the assessment of the 'intangible' impacts of coastal erosion on beach recreation and other use values of the coast previously left as unquantifiable.
During 2001 and 2004 we updated this work and in 2005 we produced, the Multi-Coloured Manual, the Multi-Coloured Handbook and the Multi-Coloured CD. In turn, the Environment Agency commissioned FHRC in 2009 and 2010 to update all this data, based on new research and the floods that occurred in 2007. In 2010 we produced the Multi-Coloured Handbook - 2010 and the Multi-Coloured CD - 2010.
In 2011, a substantial revision of the 2005 MCM commenced in order to reflect new research and address the needs presented by new partnership funding arrangements for flood risk management. This resulted in the Multi-Coloured Manual 2013. The accompanying Handbook and Data is available from the MCM-Online.
Overview of flooding and coastal erosion manuals/handbooks produced by FHRC:
Blue Manual 1977
Red Manual 1987
Yellow Manual 1992
Multi-Coloured Manual 2005
Multi-Coloured Handbook 2005
Multi-Coloured Handbook and CD 2010
Multi-Coloured Manual 2013
MCM-Online – Handbook and Data available to download from a secure section of the website 2013 - present
Pender, Gareth / Faulkner, Hazel (eds.)
Flood Risk Science and Management
1. Edition - November 2010
ca. 162.- Euro
2010. 528 Pages, Hardcover
ISBN-10: 1-4051-8657-7
ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-8657-5 - John Wiley & Sons
Detailed description
Approaches to avoid loss of life and limit disruption and damage from flooding have changed significantly in recent years. Worldwide, there has been a move from a strategy of flood defence to one of flood risk management. Flood risk management includes flood prevention using hard defences, where appropriate, but also requires that society learns to live with floods and that stakeholders living in flood prone areas develop coping strategies to increase their resilience to flood impacts when these occur.
This change in approach represents a paradigm shift that stems from the realisation that continuing to strengthen and extend conventional flood defences is unsustainable economically, environmentally, and in terms of social equity. Flood risk management recognises that a sustainable approach must rest on integrated measures that reduce not only the probability of flooding, but also the consequences. This is essential as increases in the probability of inundation are inevitable in many areas of the world due to climate change, while socio-economic development will lead to spiralling increases in the consequences of flooding unless land use in floodplains is carefully planned.
Flood Risk Science and Management provides an extensive and comprehensive synthesis of current research in flood management; providing a multi-disciplinary reference text covering a wide range of flood management topics. Its targeted readership is the international research community (from research students through to senior staff) and flood management professionals, such as engineers, planners, government officials and those with flood management responsibility in the public sector. By using the concept of case study chapters, international coverage is given to the topic, ensuring a worldwide relevance.
You can now order your copy of Flood Risk Science and Management from the Wiley-VCH website.
