Floods cause distress and damage wherever and whenever they happen. Flooding from rivers, estuaries and the sea threatens many millions of people worldwide and economic and insurance losses from flooding have increased significantly since 1990. Across the European Union, flood management policy is changing in response to the EU Directive on the assessment and management of flood risks, which requires a move from flood protection and defence to comprehensive flood risk management. Flood Risk Management: Research and Practice includes about 200 contributions from the international conference FLO.