IMPRINTS:

IMproving Preparedness and RIsk maNagemenT for flash floods and debriS flow events

Flash floods and debris flows are usually the most devastating of all floods. They are localized phenomena that occur in small watersheds, leaving extremely short lead times for warnings. IMPRINTS is a European FP7 project (2009-2012) whose objective is to contribute to the reduction of loss of life and economic damage caused by flash floods and debris flows. The goal is to develop methods and tools for forecasting and warnings, to be used by practitioners of the emergency agencies and utility companies responsible for the management of these events. Three methodologies will be developed:
1. an early warning system
2. an integrated probabilistic forecasting system
3. a probabilistic rule-based forecasting system adapted to the operational use by practitioners

These system will be tested on five selected flash flood prone areas, two located in mountainous catchments in the Alps (Verzasca, Glarus), and three in Mediterranean catchments.
The high interdisciplinarity of the complex forecasting chain, covering meteorology, hydrology, geology, as well as risk management end-users, requires an international project team organized in ten Sub Projects.