Flood Risk Overview and Context

Flooding is a natural process that cannot be entirely prevented. Some areas are already susceptible to intermittent flooding from various sources, principally from rivers, the sea or surface water runoff. Climate change is generally expected to increase flood risk, albeit that there remains much uncertainty as to the degree of climate change that will occur and the implications for particular areas of Northern Ireland. The effects of flooding on human activity are wide ranging. Floods have the potential to cause fatalities and injury, displacement of people, pollution and health risk, damage to buildings, adverse environmental impacts and to severely compromise economic and social activities.