Dennis Parker is a geographer, taking his PhD from University College of Wales, Swansea. His research interests are the economic, social and political aspects of major natural and human-made hazards and how their implications for investment in hazard mitigation. He has more than 50 years’ experience of research and teaching in the flood hazard field. His focus is on the socio-economic impact of hydro-meteorological hazards including floods and the performance of early warning systems and related policy response from regional, national and international organisations. He has acted as consultant to numerous national and international environmental agencies, including the UK Met Office, the OECD, and World Meteorological Organisation Professor Edmund C. Penning-Rowsell is a geographer, taking his PhD from University College London. His research interests are the political economy of major hazards and how this affects decisions about investment in hazard mitigation. He has more than 50 years’ experience of research and teaching in the flood hazard field. His focus is on the social impact of floods, and the policy response from regional, national and international organisations. He has acted as consultant to numerous national and international environmental agencies, including the OECD, the Red Cross/Crescent, the UN, the World Bank, and the World Health Organisation. Professor Penning-Rowsell was awarded the O.B.E. by the Queen in May 2006 for services to flood risk management.