This report describes progress made by the International Joint Commission in addressing the causes & effects of damaging floods in the Red River basin. It first reviews the flood-related characteristics of the basin, the history of flooding in the basin, the flood of 1997 and its impacts, current recovery & risk mitigation measures, and the state of hydrologic & hydraulic modelling of the basin. It then makes 40 recommendations regarding measures that should be initiated within the short term to help reduce the adverse effects of flooding in the basin. The appendix contains a draft plan of studies that will be undertaken by the International Red River Basin Task Force to support preparation of its final report on problems related to Red River flooding.

Flooding is a fact of life along the Red River. The disastrous flood of 1997, while a rare event, was neither unprecedented nor unforeseen. As the 1997 International Red River Basin Task Force report, Red River Flooding: Short-Term Measures concluded, "The flood of 1997 or an even larger one could happen any year." The Task Force conducted historical, geological and statistical analysis that supports this conclusion. In this report, the Task Force explores the implications associated with large floods"that is, floods of the magnitude of 1997 or larger"for the people, communities, and governments in the Red River basin. It responds to the concerns of the public and experts about the preparation needed to avoid or reduce damage from large floods. The report also discusses issues of particular concern arising from the 1997 flood. While the Task Force studied some aspects of response and recovery issues, this report focuses on preparedness and mitigation for major floods

A report to the Governments of Canada and the United States on reducing flood impacts in the Red River Basin.

Floods are of increasing public concern world-wide due to increasing damages and unacceptably high numbers of injuries. Previous approaches of flood protection led to limited success especially during recent extreme events. Therefore, an integrated flood risk management is required which takes into consideration both the hydrometeorogical and the societal processes. Moreover, real effects of risk mitigation measures have to be critically assessed. The book draws a comprehensive picture of all these aspects and their interrelations. It furthermore provides a lot of detail on earth observation, flood hazard modelling, climate change, flood forecasting, modelling vulnerability, mitigation measures and the various dimensions of management strategies. In addition to local and regional results of science, engineering and social science investigations on modelling and management, transboundary co-operation of large river catchments are of interest. Based on this, the book is a valuable source of the state of the art in flood risk management but also covers future demands for research and practice in terms of flood issues.