Extremely large floods are often considered virtually ‘impossible’ because they exceed our expectation based on historical experience. However, in reality, events often occur that are a priori considered impossible, causing enormous damage also as a result of their supposed improbability. Four reasons for the low importance attached to these floods are analysed here, including physical (e.g. climate change), psychological, socio-economic and combined reasons. It is argued that the risk of an ‘impossible’ flood may be greater than one thinks, and potential solutions are proposed.
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Research Areas:
Environmental Monitoring and Climate Adaptation: 50% Modeling and Simulation: 50%
