Challenges Of Disaster Risk Reduction Knowledge: The Case Study of Floods

Abstract

In the last 50 years of human development, waterrelated hazards have been dominating among the disasters, that have caused both human casualties and economic damage. Floods are among the top ten worst types of natural disasters, positioning on an unenviable third place, when taking in account, above all, the number of human lives that have been lost. Unfortunately, forecasts show that the negative trend of flood impact will continue to grow, mainly as a result of climate change, population growth and economic development. For these reasons, the need for implementing Disaster Risk Reduction has been recognized globally as a way to reduce the risk and impact of all natural disasters, including floods. On top of this, the need to include education in this area is also recognized, especially in the field of knowledge-based decision-making process. When it comes to Disaster Risk Reduction knowledge, it should be noted that despite the efforts related to the wider implementation of this type of education, practice shows that it is still been poorly represented at all necessary levels of formal and non-formal education, although in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 precisely emphasizes the critical role of knowledge in Disaster Risk Reduction.