Advances in Flood Hazard and Risk Analysis: Theory, Methods, Numerical Models, Strategies, and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Floods are among the Earth’s most common and most destructive natural hazards, posing a significant threat to population, properties, buildings, transport infrastructures, cultural/environmental heritage, and economic activities. In recent decades, the effects of extreme flooding events have been increasing in many parts of the world, being exacerbated by the pressure of anthropic factors and climate evolution. While the hydraulic and hydrologic scientific communities are actively involved in improving fundamental physical understanding about this threat and extending the capabilities of mathematical and numerical models, increased societal awareness has caused the shift from a classic risk-based territory management to innovative risk-based approaches of the entire flood risk cycle (precaution, event, response, recovery). Recent scientific advances have involved, among others: the optimal design of systems of flood-mitigation reservoirs; novel numerical techniques for flood propagation in channels and floodplains; interaction between the flow and hydraulic structures such as bridges, culverts, and barrages; the advent and development of data-driven and machine-learning approaches; improved methods for the evaluation of extreme event statistics; overland flow computing methods; improved evaluation of vulnerability and damage; the influence of the urban fabric in modulating flood propagation; the interplay between overland flow and urban drainage systems; the improvement of urban climate characterisation (heat and rain urban islands); and the interplay between flood exposure and social issues such as poverty and diseases.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to supply a fore where these issues and opportunities are discussed. For this reason, the present Special Issue particularly welcomes contributions related (but not limited) to:

• Methods (qualitative, semi-quantitative, or quantitative) for flood hazard evaluation;
• Theoretical and applied developments of hydrologic and hydrodynamic modelling;
• Pluvial and fluvial flood hazard analysis in the urban context;
• Flood monitoring and warning systems;
• Flood forecasting and decision-support systems;
• Post-flood field surveys;
• Rainfall and flood frequency analysis;
• AI and machine learning tools for flood hazard, exposure and vulnerability analysis;
• Citizen science, social media and big data for flood risk analysis and model calibration;
• Flood mitigation measures;
• Flood damage and resilience;
• Flood risk cycle management;
• Flood risk perception and communication;
• Flood-related social and economic issues.

Dr. Luca Cozzolino
Dr. Gaetano Crispino
Guest Editors

Dr. Giada Varra
Guest Editor Assistant

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