Even with all the advances in technologies, humans continue to suffer from the consequences of flooding century after century. This book covers two pertinent topics: flood risk and flood management. Experts world-wide share their knowledge on these topics and highlight solutions to the flooding problems in the 21st century. Topics discussed in this book include spatial explicit multi-criteria flood risk; identification of social obstacles in solving flooding problems in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina; participative planning processes in flood risk management and in integrated watershed management; new economic instrument for integrated management of muddy flow risks; flood hazard mapping using hydrodynamic modelling approach; and simulation of flood reduction by means of complex structural measures using hydrodynamic modelling and aerial photogrammetry-derived digital surface model (DSM).

The Elkhorn River originates in north-central Nebraska and empties into the Platte River just west of Omaha. One of the first written records of the Elkhorn describes a flood. A flood hindered travel up the river by the valley's first non-Indian settlers. Decade after decade, floods have swept away mill dams, destroyed crops, drowned stock, soaked inventories, filled basements, undercut roads, washed out railroads and bridges, turned unfortunate riverside homesaEURO"even a dance hallaEURO"into unwieldy watercraft, and killed people. Everyone in the Elkhorn Valley agreed the Flood of 1944 was the worst in history. Until the deadly Flood of 2010 took the title. From a perspective unusual on the Great PlainsaEURO"the problem of too much wateraEURO" Flood on the Tracks offers an intimate portrait of life in the Elkhorn River Basin of northeast Nebraska. In a region often defined by aridity, rivers and their basins have provided sustenance, shelter, fertile soil, and overland highways. In many ways Plains rivers organize human lives. When they overflow, which they can be counted on to do, they disorganize them. Using Plains Indian winter counts, postcards, photographs, newspaper accounts, government records, and more, Flood on the Tracks chronicles the river's natural and human history from the Plains Indians into the twenty-first century. The Elkhorn's floods show us how the nature of disaster has changed and how Plainsfolk liveaEURO"and dieaEURO"with a river.