Breakfast Briefing: Keeping our feet dry – being resilient to urban flooding

While Hurricane Florence and Typhoon Mangkut are recent examples of extreme flooding events, the UK has had its own experience of severe flooding.

With climate change pushing up precipitation and sea levels, we need to be cognisant of not only the growing threat but also the co-ordinated responses. Our approach needs to be based on lessons learnt from previous incidents, an understanding of the inter-dependencies with other services like power supplies, as well as a long-term approach to mitigation and adaptation.

This briefing will bring together international experts with examples of flood mitigation and adaptation strategies, followed by a lively panel discussion.

Chair: Caroline Field, Principal, Thornton Tomasetti

Speakers: Amy Macdonald, Thornton Tomasetti; Michael Cowdy, Director and Global Urbanism Leader, McGregor Coxall 

Panellists:

Sarah Burchard, Emergency Risk Specialist, Business Resilience and Security Team, Thames Water

Darsha Gill, Flood and Coastal Risk Manager, Environment Agency 

Nicola Balch, Associate, McGregor Coxall

Hosted by: Thornton Tomasetti