Abstract. The NW Mediterranean region experiences every year heavy rainfall and flash floods that occasionally produce catastrophic damages. Less frequent are floods that affect large regions. Although a large number of databases devoted exclusively to floods or considering all kind of natural hazards do exist, usually they only record catastrophic flood events. This paper deals with the new flood database that is being developed within the framework of HYMEX project. Results are focused on four regions representative of the NW sector of Mediterranean Europe: Catalonia, Spain; the Balearic Islands, Spain; Calabria, Italy; and Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées and PACA, France. The common available 30-yr period starts in 1981 and ends in 2010. The paper shows the database structure and criteria, the comparison with other flood databases, some statistics on spatial and temporal distribution, and an identification of the most important events. The paper also provides a table that includes the date and affected region of all the catastrophic events identified in the regions of study, in order to make this information available for all audiences.

2010) Flood frequency analysis using historical data: accounting for random and systematic errors. Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(2), 192-208. Abstract Flood frequency analysis based on a set of systematic data and a set of historical floods is applied to several Mediterranean catchments. After identification and collection of data on historical floods, several hydraulic models were constructed to account for geomorphological changes. Recent and historical rating curves were constructed and applied to reconstruct flood discharge series, together with their uncertainty. This uncertainty stems from two types of error: (a) random errors related to the water-level readings; and (b) systematic errors related to over-or under-estimation of the rating curve. A Bayesian frequency analysis is performed to take both sources of uncertainty into account. It is shown that the uncertainty affecting discharges should be carefully evaluated and taken into account in the flood frequency analysis, as it can increase the quantiles confidence interval. The quantiles are found to be consistent with those obtained with empirical methods, for two out of four of the catchments. Analyse fréquentielle des débits de crues avec des données historiques en prenant en compte les erreurs aléatoires et systématiquesRésumé Ce papier présente une analyse fréquentielle des crues basée sur un échantillon de crues collecté sur une période systématique et sur une période historique. Elle est appliquée sur plusieurs petits bassins versants méditerranéens. Après le recensement et la collecte des données sur les crues historiques, plusieurs modèles hydrauliques ont été construits pour prendre en compte l'évolution géomorphologique des cours d'eau. Des courbes de tarage pour les périodes récentes et historiques ont été construites et utilisées pour estimer les débits de crues avec leurs incertitudes. Ces incertitudes prennent en compte deux types d'erreurs: (a) une erreur aléatoire liée à la lecture de la hauteur d'eau, et (b) une erreur systématique liée à une sur ou sous estimation de la courbe de tarage. Un modèle bayésien d'analyse fréquentielle est développé pour prendre en compte ces deux sources d'incertitudes. Il est montré que les incertitudes affectant les débits doivent être prise en compte dans l'analyse fréquentielle des crues car elles peuvent significativement modifier les intervalles de confiance des quantiles. Les quantiles de crues obtenus semblent concordant avec les estimations de formules empiriques pour deux des quatre bassins étudiés.

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In the Mediterranean environment, floods pose a significant threat to people, in spite of the noteworthy improvements in forecasting, emergency management, and defensive works. This paper examines flood mortality in the Mediterranean environment based on a 36-year long database that was built in five study areas using documentary sources. Information on fatal accidents was disaggregated in database fields describing victim's profile and the circumstances of the accidents. Data show an increasing trend of flood fatalities during the study period. Accidents mainly occurred outdoor: the majority of the 458 fatalities were males, mainly aged between 30 and 49 years, and residents in the area of the accident. In the majority of cases, people were dragged by water/mud when travelling by car. Some cases of hazardous behaviours, such as fording rivers or trying to save belongings, were also detected. The cause of death was drowning in the majority of cases, and heart attack in a few cases it was. The results of the research can be proficiently used in information campaigns aiming to increase people safety during future floods.

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Abstract. This paper provides a comparison of the causes, effects and aftermaths of the coastal flooding that occurred on the east coast of England in 1953 and the west coast of France in 2010 that resulted in 307 and 47 deaths respectively. The causes of both events are strikingly similar. Both were caused by a combination of high tides, low atmospheric pressure, high winds and the failure of poorly maintained flood defences. In both cases the number of deaths was related to the vulnerability of the buildings and people. Buildings in the flood zones were often single storey bungalows and the people who died were mostly over 60 yr of age. Both tragedies were national disasters. The 1953 flood in England acted as a catalyst for an acceleration in flood risk management policy and practice. It resulted in: the development of a Storm Tide Warning System for the east coast of England; the setting of new design standards for coastal flood defences; increased investment in improving coastal defences; and a substantial new research effort into coastal processes, protection and forecasting. In France there has also been an episodic shift in flood risk management policy with the focus falling on: control of urban developments in areas at risk of flooding; improved coastal forecasting and warning; strengthening of flood defences; and developing a "culture of risk awareness". This paper outlines the lessons that can be learnt from the two events and provides recommendations concerning how future loss of life as a result of coastal flooding can be reduced.

Abstract. Floods have strong impacts in the Mediterranean region and there are concerns about a possible increase in their intensity due to climate change. In this study, a large database of 171 basins located in southern France with daily discharge data with a median record length of 45 years is considered to analyze flood trends and their drivers. In addition to discharge data, outputs of precipitation, temperature, evapotranspiration from the SAFRAN reanalysis and soil moisture computed with the ISBA land surface model are also analyzed. The evolution of land cover in these basins is analyzed using the CORINE database. The trends in floods above the 95th and 99th percentiles are detected by the Mann–Kendall test and quantile regression techniques. The results show that despite the increase in extreme precipitation reported by previous studies, there is no general tendency towards more severe floods. Only for a few basins is the intensity of the most extreme floods showing significant upward trends. On the contrary, most trends are towards fewer annual flood occurrences above both the 95th and 99th percentiles for the majority of basins. The decrease in soil moisture seems to be an important driver for these trends, since in most basins increased temperature and evapotranspiration associated with a precipitation decrease are leading to a reduction in soil moisture. These results imply that the observed increase in the vulnerability to these flood events in recent decades is mostly caused by human factors such as increased urbanization and population growth rather than climatic factors.