Short Term

Sand bags - to prevent further damage to property

Medium Term

Afforestation - trees are planted to absorb water

Managed flooding - the river is allowed to flood in some places to avoid destruction close to large settlements

Planning - governments and local councils implement plans to help prevent damage to property in future

Long Term

Dam building - dams are built in order to control the amount of discharge released

River engineering - the river channel may be widened or deepened to allow water to flow more quickly

The values and attitudes of interested groups

Environmental groups and residents often prefer options which have as little impact on the settlement and environment as possible, such as planting trees

Governments and investment groups often prefer hard engineering options, such as dam building, as this can often generate large profits and can also attract people for leisure purposes such as sailing