Flood risk and cities in developing countries

The risk of flooding is a natural hazard affecting the most people worldwide. However, it is more of a risk in terms of material damage than a lethal risk for the affected population. Integrated flood risk management (IFRM) constitutes a global response to flood risk that is structurally systemic and prone to evolve over time. An operational approach to IFRM is to consider three complementary and interconnected components of flood risk management : prevention, preparedness and risk culture. This technical report explains the issues of each of these components and draws up a non-exhaustive list of the different existing tools, also presenting their limits of application. A presentation of examples of at-risk territories supports, by specific examples, the elements explained in the report.