Government officials, academics and environmental organizations will increase their understanding and management of inland and coastal flooding in Atlantic Canada at a conference in Truro, today, March 5.

Participants at the Atlantic Flood Management Conference will share experiences and expertise in flood preparedness, emergency response, flood mapping and risk assessment, resilient infrastructure, planning and policy, as well as flood liability.

“Atlantic Canadians will need to adapt to a new normal,” said Bob Sandford, Canadian chair of the United Nations Water for Life initiative. “We thought we had a relatively stable climate and had adequate methods to address the impacts of flooding in population dense areas. We now know that our hydrology is changing and new approaches are needed.”

The conference will showcase:
— new approaches being considered by municipalities to address flooding in high-risk areas
— Truro’s comprehensive flood risk study and efforts by the Municipality of Colchester County to address flooding in the community
— a panel discussion between industry experts and community leaders about best practices, lessons learned and the future of flood management in Atlantic Canada

“Working together, sharing information and ideas are key to increasing our ability to adapt to flooding and climate change,” said Keith Hunter, president of the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities and warden of the Municipality of the County of Cumberland. “The outcomes from today will help us to reduce the risk of flooding throughout Atlantic Canada in the future.”

As a coastal region, Nova Scotia is particularly vulnerable to flooding and the impacts of climate change.

Hosted by the Environment Department’s climate change unit, the one-day conference is sponsored by the Atlantic Climate Adaptation Solutions Association, Natural Resources Canada and The Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities.

Source: Release