Involving the locals When it comes to protecting vulnerable areas from flooding it is always important to listen to the locals, Jonkman says. Limburg was a case in point. ’A year on from a devastating flood no detailed plan to prevent the next disaster has been presented and it’s causing anger and anxiety among locals. We go out and talk to people to find out their questions and needs. Based on these we suggest solutions that the authorities can work with.’ Locals can also be given a say in the type of solution. ’Houston, in Texas, is a good example of this,’ Jonkman says. ’The initial idea was to build a ten metre high sea dyke but that deprived people who lived on the coast from their sea view and access to the beach. Together we came to a solution everyone could live with: a lower, broader construction covered with a sand dune.’
Involving the locals When it comes to protecting vulnerable areas from flooding it is always important to listen to the locals, Jonkman says. Limburg was a case in point. 'A year on from a devastating flood no detailed plan to prevent the next disaster has been presented and it's causing anger and anxiety among locals. We go out and talk to people to find out their questions and needs. Based on these we suggest solutions that the authorities can work with.' Locals can also be given a say in the type of solution. 'Houston, in Texas, is a good example of this,' Jonkman says. 'The initial idea was to build a ten metre high sea dyke but that deprived people who lived on the coast from their sea view and access to the beach.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
