Chapter 13: Risk Management of Landslides and Flooding — Recommendations and Step Wise Process

Every year flooding and landslides cause severe material damages and thousands of deaths and injuries. To reduce the risk, measures can be taken by applying different management strategies either by reducing the probability of the event or by reducing the potential consequences in case of an event. This chapter provides a systematic (step-by-step) guidance, a brief overview of landslide and flood risk management in general and a summary of an investigation of the present risk management situation in Sweden which has resulted in some general recommendations. Examples of general recommendations are to apply available knowledge, for example by learning from existing good examples and, when available, lessons learned and documentation of the rational argumentation made in the decision process. There is a request of checklists and guides that can be used in the current daily work among planners and risk managers. It is important with a broad basis for decisions, therefore integrated assessments and valuations are recommended for example by applying multi-criteria analysis methodology and involving relevant stakeholders in the process for example through well working networks. It is further important to counteract the current trend that more automatic monitoring results in less field monitoring and reduced local knowledge.