White is known predominantly for his work on natural hazards, particularly flooding, and the importance of sound water management in contemporary society.

He was also heavily involved in applying his research to reform flooding and water policy in the United States and the Middle East.

[2] At the meeting participants proposed to build a system of controlling anthropogenic changes of the environment which would allow planning environmental management measures.

He advocated, where feasible, adaptation to or accommodation of flood hazards rather than the "structural" solutions (dams, levees, and floodwalls, for example) that dominated policy in the early 20th century.

White's non-structural adjustments consist of arrangements imposed by a governing body (local, regional, or national) to restrict the use of floodplains, or flexible human adjustments to flood risk that do not involve substantial investment in flood controls (Tobin and Montz, 1997).

Design standards are sometimes inappropriate, and overconfidence develops, resulting in worse disasters if a flood breaches defenses.

White worked under President Johnson in committees that advised the establishment of the National Flood Insurance Program – although he was not happy when his cautions were ignored and the NFIP was rolled out too quickly.

Gilbert F. White, along with his former students and colleagues including Robert Kates and Ian Burton, have become some of the most influential scholars of natural and technological hazards.