Reducing the Vulnerability of Societies to Water Related Risks at the Basin Scale (Proceedings of the third International Symposium on Integrated Water Resources Management, Bochum, Germany, September 2006). IAHS Publ. 317, 2007, 400–406.

NOAH, the right information at the right time at the right place

ERIK JAN LANGKAMP¹, LUDOLPH WENTHOLT¹, BOB PENGEL¹, REINHART VOGT², SEBASTIAN SCHNITZLER³ & KEES DE GOOIJER¹

1 STOWA, PO Box 8090, NL-3503 RB Utrecht, The Netherlands

wentholt@stowa.nl

2 Hochwasserschutzzentrale Köln, Willy-Brandt-Platz 2, D-50679 Köln, Germany

3 Regierungspräsidium Karlsruhe, Schlossplatz 4-6 D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany

Abstract In the Interreg IIIb funded project NOAH, project partners from The Netherlands and Germany joined forces to improve information transfer during high water events along rivers. The main objectives were development and implementation of an automated high water information system called FLIWAS and involving the general public in flood issues by means of High Water Partnerships. The execution of the project itself has already increased common understanding on functionality within the partnership. The building process of FLIWAS is now well underway; delivery was delayed and was re-planned for early 2007. The added value of the project for flood and emergency management will be demonstrated during a multi-disciplinary international full-scale exercise along the rivers Rhine and Maas. The project has received positive feedback from the field and is currently looking to broaden the scope, especially in relation to coastal floods. Funding options are being actively pursued.

Key words NOAH; FLIWAS; flood information; emergency planning; flood response; evacuation