INARMA

Management of water resources is becoming, at a time of scarcity and climate change, more and more complex and is often subject to social tension among people living in the same territory. In this context, the role played by Civil Defence organisations is a key one. At the same time it is made even more difficult by the fact that the only available forecasting models are framed into the main river catchments, which are usually much larger than the smaller ones and the monitoring of which is often irrelevant for correct prediction of event evolution in minor or secondary catchments. The purpose of a flood forecasting system is to estimate the future states, especially runoff amounts and water levels of hydrologic systems. But a flood forecasting system seldom is a stand-alone construction. In fact, the overall objective for each flood forecasting system is to deliver warnings to the population at risk to reduce human and economic losses. It should therefore be integrated in a structure dedicated to flood warnings where flooding dynamic and effective and robust communication to Civil Defense are key elements to mitigate damages. Consequently, the main activity of the INARMA project will consist in developing common methodologies for the management of water emergencies and of there from deriving landscape risks. This objective involves the application of the non-structural interventions for water risk management contained in the recent EU Directive 2007/60 on sub-regional catchment basins, and enactment of the specific operational procedures followed by Civil Defense Organizations.

The Inarma project aims to prevent unexpected calamities called “flash floods” in small river basins, through the adoption of a specific software designed to alert the local Civil Defence forces and population as a whole in time, before any damage is caused. After the first combined software-based Civil Defence Exercise held in Płock, Poland, in April 2012, the partners’ attention was focused on fine-tuning the interdependence between the software implementation and the operations performed on the ground. A framework of activities was conceived for the preparation of Civil Defence Exercise no. 2, planned in Alessandria, Italy, for the beginning of March 2013. The bases were laid for the technical assumptions of the Exercise, with a focus on internal and external communication and on strengthening interaction between the software-based information flow and the carrying out of the emergency management operations. The structure of the Exercise was outlined and subdivided into distinct components, namely, general objectives, specific objectives, involved organisations, geographical features of the Exercise area (land morphology, climate, drainage pattern), past floods as historical reference, and so on. All these aspects were discussed at a Technical Meeting held in Graz, Austria, on 27-28 September 2012. They will be further developed and consolidated into a working document in the next reporting period. The target groups addressed by the Exercise (resident population, local authorities, Civil Defence forces and volunteers) will benefit from the opportunity of testing flood emergency prevention schemes and analysing the effectiveness of the extant emergency management systems. More specifically, Civil Defence organisations will be able to include in their scope of action a software-based flood visualisation tool. Furthermore, a consistent timeline for the organisation of the Final Conference was set and will be concretised in the sixth and final reporting period. The Final Conference is planned for end-March 2013, approximately one month after Civil Defence Exercise no. 2. As a key dissemination output, this event will give an overview of the project aims, activities and achievements, summarising results and lessons learned from the partners. The main goal is to stimulate the interest of target groups that hold a stake in flood risk management (local authorities, Civil Defence forces, volunteers, professionals). In particular, local authorities and population are expected to increase their awareness of flood risk and become eager to learn more about flood emergency management. With the agenda for the two major conclusive events established and agreed upon, INARMA is now working its way towards a smooth conclusion.