In response to the devastation arising from water-related natural disaster, particularly flooding, a series of 3 workshops & symposia were held: the Flood Forecasting & Disaster Response Workshop held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 6-8 April, 1999; an international Symposium on Flood Forecasting for the Americas, held in Brasilia, 15-19 Nov. 1999; & an International Symposium on Water-related Disaster Reduction Response, held in Bangkok, Thailand, 27-31 August 2004. One objective of these events was to create comprehensive guidelines that could be used by governments, international org's., NGOs & civil society to help avert losses from flooding. This publication is based on the findings of those 3 sessions. Illustrations.

Measures for reducing or preventing flood damages are divided into three groups: control over the river, control over the land, and other measures.