ICOMOS-ICORP Panel Series – “Expect Unexpected: Floods”

1rst day of the panel: Best Practices And Lessons Learnt From The Work In The Area Of Expertise For Managing Floods

2nd day of the panel: Presentations Related To Nigeria And Pakistan And Discussion Of The Problems That They Are Facing

80-90% of natural disasters documented in the last 10 years were caused by floods, droughts, tropical cyclones, heat waves and severe storms. The frequency and severity of floods are also increasing, and the frequency and severity of extreme precipitation events are expected to increase further due to climate change (WHO).

From Nigeria to Pakistan, floods are devastating communities globally, causing many casualties and damage to cultural heritage structures. Catastrophic weather events like flooding are becoming more frequent and intense because of climate change. Urgent actions are required in Nigeria to mitigate the impact of floods this year. In 2022, floods displaced over 2.4 million people, killed over 660 people and injured more than 2,400 people, according to the information of UN OCHA. Unrelenting monsoon rains across Pakistan, the worst in a decade, resulted in widespread flooding and landslides between June and August 2022 (NDMA).

These water hazards showed us that dynamic planning with a multidisciplinary approach in all stages of Disaster Risk Management on Cultural Heritage, preparation, emergency response, and recovery is crucial for Cultural Heritage and its users. The Panel Series Expect Unexpected aims to share the best practices and lessons learned from the work of the ICOMOS Scientific Committees in their area of expertise for managing disasters.

This Panel Expect Unexpected concerns floods and will bring the experiences about managing the damage starting from the “0. Seconds” of the disaster.

The purpose of these panel series is to meet to share experiences and knowledge to be more prepared for protecting the cultural heritage from future natural events and unexpected human disasters. In particular, the panel focuses on the critical response phase of the emergency for cultural heritage and users.

Our ICOMOS ICORP Crisis Monitoring and Response Working Group (ICMRWG) organized two webinars which were held the 8th and 9th December 2023.

1rst day of the panel: Best Practices And Lessons Learnt From The Work In The Area Of Expertise For Managing Floods

• Chair panel: Zeynep Gül Ünal – Coordinator of ICORP Crisis Monitoring & Response Working Group

• Hosting: Zeynep Ece Atabay & Verónica Casanovas González – ICORP Crisis Monitoring & Response Working Group

• Opening Speech: Zeynep Gül Ünal (Coordinator of ICM&RWG / ICOMOS International Board), Christopher Marrion (ICORP President) & Teresa Patricio (ICOMOS International President)

I.Panels Of Experts

• Rohit Jigyasu. ICORP: “The Interface of Climate Change and Flood Risks: Filling the Gaps”

• Dr Lori Collins. ISC on Aerospace Heritage: “Spatial and 3D Digitization of Aerospace Heritage Sites for Planning and Response to Geohazards and Climate Impacts”:

• Henk Van Shaik. Vice President of the ISC Water: “Water and Heritage: Connecting Past with Present and Future”

• Prof. Miloš Drdácký. ISCARSAH: “Increasing The Resilience Of Built Heritage Threatened By Floods”

• Mario Aymerich. ISC Water: “Funding Responses to Flood Disasters by International Financial Institutions”

• Victoria Pearce. ICORP: “Who Are Your Disaster Stakeholders?- Identifying The Extended Network In A Disaster”

• Aparna Tandon & Mohona Chakraburtty. ICORP: “Mitigating Flood Risk: Experiences from Net Zero-Heritage For Climate Action Project”

• Dr. John A. Peterson. President ICAHM: “The Past and Future of Changing Climate amongst Impacts of the Present and Future of Floods and Droughts”

• Dr. Masamitsu Fujimoto. ICOMOS Japan.: “Japanese Situation About Climate Change And Risk Prevention”

• Jisoo Kim & Sangsun Jo. ICOMOS Korea / ICORP.: “Damages Of Cultural Heritage Caused By Unexpected Flood And Accelerated By Climate Change”

• Dr. Mengyuan Jia & Dr. Ding He. ICOMOS China: “Exploring The Impact Of Climate Change On Flood Risk At Cultural Heritage Sites: A Case Study Of Shanxi Province, China”

• Hatthaya Siriphatthanakun PhD. ICOMOS Thailand: “Reviewing Water-Related Disaster In Southeast Asia: Lessons Never Learnt”

• Ohnmar Myo. ICOMOS Myanmar: “Challenges For Myanmar Heritage After Cyclone Mocha”

• Claude Arnaud Sié KAMBOU. ISC Water.: “Climatic And Urban Contexts As Sources Of Flood Risk For Cultural Heritage In Rainy Conditions In Burkina Faso: The Case Of Ouagadougou’s National Museum”

• Patricia E. Green PhD   & Jenna Blackwood PhD. ISCCL. ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscape: “Natural Solutions To Flood Disaster In The Caribbean”

• Diane Clark MPhil & Ryan Adams. B.L.A. ISCCL. ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscape.: “Flood Mitigation Policy In The Caribbean”

• Nizar Abu-Jaber & Dr. Catreena Hamarneh. ICOMOS Jordan: “The Old Shall Become New Again: Mitigation Of Flash Flooding In The World Heritage Site Of Petra, Jordan.”

• PHD. Arch. Restorer Ricardo Alberto Zabaleta Puello. ICOMOS Colombia: “Cartagena De Indias, Colombia, A Constant Struggle To Safeguard Its Cultural Heritage Against Climate Change”

• Fardis Salarian ISC Water: “The Causes Of Floods In Iran From The Perspective Of Urban Planning”

• Laure Marique. ICORP: “Cultural Heritage And Crisis Management In Belgium: Lessons From The 2021 Floods”

• Jean Rice & Kerime Danis Australia. ICOMOS National Scientific Committee on Energy & Sustainability (NCSES) & ISCES: “The Lessons Learned From The Catastrophic Flood Disaster In Lismore, Australia”

II. Round Table: Questions And Answers

2nd day of the panel: Presentations Related To Nigeria And Pakistan And Discussion Of The Problems That They Are Facing

• Chair panel: Verónica Casanovas González – ICORP Crisis Monitoring & Response Working Group

• Hosting: Zeynep Ece Atabay – ICORP Crisis Monitoring & Response Working Group

I. Pakistan Flood Disaster Case 2022

• Fauzia Qureshi. President of ICOMOS Pakistan: “Presentation Of Pakistan Situation And Related Experts Who Are Going To Talk”

• Arch Faryal Sikander. ICOMOS Pakistan: “Environmental Change And Heritage, Are We Prepared?”

• Zahida Quadri. ICOMOS Pakistan: “Capacity Building For Managing And Reducing Disaster Risk: Efforts To Build Community- And Regional-Level Preparedness”:

• Ar. Shazia Abro. ICOMOS Pakistan: “Performance with Expected and Unforeseen Flood Incidents: A Case Study of KOT DIJI FORT at Khairpur District, Sindh, Pakistan”

• Heba Hashmi. ICOMOS Pakistan: “From Risk To Resilience: Assessing The Impact Of Changing Flood Patterns On Archaeological Heritage In The Indus River Basin, Pakistan”

II. Nigeria Flood Disaster Case 2022

• Dr. Oluwatoyin Sogbesan. President of ICOMOS Nigeria: “Presentation Of Nigeria Flood Disaster Case 2022”

• Dr. Eugene O. Itua. ICOMOS Nigeria: “Managing Risk And Cultural Heritage In Nigeria”

• Dr. Haruna Audu Omar. ICOMOS Nigeria: “Community Adaptation In The Face Of Floods – A Case Study Of Sukur World Heritage Site Nigeria”

• Prof. Olatunji Adejumo. ICOMOS Nigeria: “Nature-Based Solutions For Cultural Landscape Flooding In Lagos State”

• Dr. Oluwatoyin Sogbesan. President of ICOMOS Nigeria: “The Place Of Indigenous Knowledge In Flood Management”

III. Round Table: Questions & Answers