Implementation of the Floods Directive Cycle 2

The Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment

During the 2nd implementation Cycle, the methodology for setting forth the areas of potential significant flood risk (APSFRs) has undergone a number of improvements, considering the following general principles:

• The evaluation of significant historical events shows that the area is prone, also for the time being, to the flood risk
• The potential flood risk assessment shows that the area is deemed to have a national strategic importance or critical in case of major emergency situations (such as damages to hospitals, international airports, schools, transportation infrastructure etc.);
• Flood risk management specialists at the level of River Basin Administrations or of other stakeholders at local level can clearly indicate areas prone to severe flood risk.

The process of reviewing the preliminary flood risk assessment from cycle 2 has involved the flood categorization depending on the flooding system: pluvial, fluvial overflows, torrents, dike breaches and coastal. Thus, a total of 526 APSFRs have been identified. They are divided into 506 APSFR for fluvial flood risk, 3 coastal and 17 APSFRs from pluvial (rain) sources.

Out of these 526 APSFRs, 343 have been identified as a priority for new modeling under the second cycle of the Directive, of which 191 for fluvial floods, 41 for flash floods, 69 for dike breaches, 3 for coastal floods and 17 pluvial APSFRs in urban areas. For the remaining 183 APSFRs, there are hazard maps available from the first cycle.