<p>The increased frequency and severity of coastal storms is increasingly reported in various media, is this a myth or a reality? Three authors gathering experience in coastal science (including modeling), legislation and history give a snapshot of the topic and discuss facts and figures in the light of media's reports.</p><p>The book will focus on the knowledge base on extreme coastal storms (including storm surges) and include discussions on early warning system for the reliable prediction of morphological impacts due to marine storm events in support of civil protection mitigation strategies. A first part will review the current understanding of the processes generating the events, the morphological evolution of coastlines during and after the events, the methods for monitoring the process as it occurs or for post-event appraisal. A second part will provide insight into the policy framework related to coastal storms (and flooding), and a third part will describe the Xynthia case study.</p>