A torrential rain event during the first full week of March 2016 featuring over two feet of record March rain in the South unleashed major river flooding, rising to historic levels in some areas. Add flooding along the Gulf Coast, and the disaster became a triple assault. In all, 400 homes flooded in Mississippi. Three people were killed in Louisiana, the governor said. In one case, a driver died when floodwater swept his vehicle off a road in Bienville Parish, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said. The two others died in Ouachita Parish, according to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

1. HISTORIC “1,000 YEAR FLOOD”
IN LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI
March 10-14, 2016

2. PRELIMINARY REPORTS
• PRESIDENT OBAMA DECLARES
LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI AS A
DISASTER ZONE
• VERY FEW DEATHS SO FAR, BUT
5,000 OR MORE HOMES AND AN OIL
FIELD UNDER WATER
• THOUSANDS EVACUATED; THOU-
SANDS NEEDINIG TO BE RESCUED

4. URGENT SANDBAGGING

5. INTERSTATE 59 AND 10
THREATENED

6. LEARNING FROM GLOBAL
DISASTER LABORATORIES
FLOODS

7. FLOODING
• Flooding occurs somewhere in
the world approximately 10,000
times every year as the
consequences of a locale
having more water than the
local water cycle can process
within its physical limits.

8. FLOODS
• Floods occur as the result of:
extreme levels of , precipitation
in thunderstorms, tropical
storms, typhoons, hurricanes,
and cyclones; in storm surges,
and in tsunami wave run up.

9. FLOODING CAN TRIGGER
LARGE LANDSLIDES,
WHICH WILL EXACERBATE
THE DISASTER

10. LOSS OF FUNCTION OF
STRUCTURES IN FLOODPLAIN
FLOODSFLOODS
INUNDATION
INTERACTION WITH
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
STRUCTURAL/CONTENTS
DAMAGE FROM WATER
WATER BORNE DISEASES
(HEALTH PROBLEMS)
EROSION AND MUDFLOWS
CONTAMINATION OF GROUND
WATER
CAUSES OF
RISK
CAUSES OF
RISK
FLOOD
DISASTER
LABORATORIES
FLOOD
DISASTER
LABORATORIES

11. “FLOOD LABORATORY”:SALT LAKE
CITY, UTAH; 1983
• Unusual flood
waters from the
annual Spring
runoff were
diverted down
Main Street

12. MIDWEST USA FLOOD
LABORATORY: JUNE-AUGUST 1993
• THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER BASIN
COVERS 1.25
MILLION SQUARE
MILES
• IT COLLECTS
WATER FROM 40
PERCENT OF THE
UNITED STATES

14. SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS:
GREAT FLOOD OF 1993
The Great Flood of 1993 was
the most costly and devas-
tating flood in modern
history in the United States.

15. CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA FLOOD
LABORATORY: JUNE 13, 2008

16. INUNDATION

17. INUNDATION: ST LOUIS, MO;
JUNE 20, 2008
.

18. • Inundated towns, cities, homes,
schools, businesses, and farms,
• lost crops and long-term loss of
productivity of farm land,
• loss of function of roads and
bridges
SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

19. SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS
(continued)
• loss of function of bridges and
utility systems
• Thirty-eight thousand evacuees
• Regional business interruption
• loss of tourism

20. SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS
(continued)
• long-term clean-up (removal of
debris, sewage, garbage, and
10-million sandbags)
• Drying out of houses and
businesses and their contents,
• Rebuilding of houses and
levees.

21. SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS
(continued)
• Disposal of damaged home
systems (e.g., refrigerators),
• Restoration of water quality in
wells and municipal water
systems
• Restoration of functions of
schools and universities.

22. SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS
(continued)
• Restoration of millions of acres
of prime farm land.
• Rebuilding of cities such as
Cedar Rapids, Iowa (estimates
reach at least $1 billion).

23. • After weeks of flooding in Iowa,
Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and
Wisconsin, the region faced
billions of dollars in losses and a
long recovery period.
ECONOMIC IMPACTS

24. FLOOD LABORATORY IN CHINA
Guangdong, Sichuan,Ghizhou,
and Fujian Provinces impacted
May 27-June 15, 2008

25. “FLOOD LABORATORY” IN CHINA
Guangdong, Sichuan,Ghizhou, and
Fujian Provinces impacted
JUNE 15, 2008

27. FLOODING IN SOUTHERN
CHINA
Runoff after several weeks of
rain pushed the Xijiang and
Beijiang Rivers over their
banks in southern China,
displacing more than 1.27
million people.

28. FLOODING: GUIZHOU
PROVINCE; MAY 27

29. FUJIAN RIVER: JUNE 6

30. FLOODING: GUANGDONG
PROVINCE; JUNE 15

31. SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS
The impacts: 57 dead, tens of
thousands of collapsed
homes, damaged crops
across more than 2.12 million
acres, and $1.5 billion or more
in economic losses.

32. NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH
DAKOTA, AND MINNESOTA
FLOOD LABORATORY
MARCH - APRIL 2009

34. REASONS FOR FLOODING:
The flooding was triggered by: 1)
A long, snowy and icy winter,
followed by 2) An earlier than
normal, rapid Spring melt and
runoff.

37. REMEMBERING RECORD
FLOODS IN NORTHWEST
ENGLAND
(WITH SEVERE FLOOD WARNINGS
IN SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND)
NOVEMBER 19-21, 2009

38. LOCATION OF CUMBRIA,
ENGLAND

39. AERIAL VIEW OF COLLAPSED
BRIDGE: CUMBRIA AREA

40. COLLAPSED BRIDGE:
CUMBRIA AREA

41. FLOODING: CUMBRIA AREA

42. FLOODING: CUMBRIA AREA

43. FLOODING: COCKERMOUTH

44. FLOODING: CUMBRIA AREA

45. FLOODING: CUMBRIA AREA

46. FLOODING: CUMBRIA AREA

47. RESCUE: CUMBRIA AREA

48. RESCUE: CUMBRIA AREA

49. RESCUE: CUMBRIA AREA

50. LESSON: THE KNOWLEDGE AND TIMING
OF ANTICIPATORY ACTIONS IS VITAL
• The people who know: 1) what to
expect (e.g., inundation from
extreme precipitation, storm surge,
tsunami wave run up), 2) where and
when impacts will happen, and 3)
what they should (and should not)
do to prepare for them will survive.

51. LESSON: TIMELY, REALISTIC
DISASTER SCENARIOS SAVE LIVES
• The people who have timely,
realistic, advance information that
facilitates reduction of
vulnerabilities, and hence the risks
associated with floods will survive.

52. LESSON: EMERGENCY RESPONSE
SAVES LIVES
• The timing of emergency response
operations, especially the search
and rescue operations that are
limited to “the golden 48 hours,” will
increase the likelihood of survival.

53. LESSON: EMERGENCY MEDICAL
PREPAREDNESS SAVES LIVES
• The local community’s capacity for
emergency health care (i,e., coping
with damaged hospitals and medical
facilities, lack of clean drinking
water, food, and medicine to treat
water borne diseases, and high
levels of morbidity and mortality) is
vital for survival.

54. LESSON: ENGINEERED
INFRASTRUCTURE SAVE LIVES
• Infrastructure engineered to
withstand the risks from floods (e.g.,
damage, failure, and loss of
function), is vital for survival.

55. WE CONTINUE TO OPERATE WITH
A FLAWED PREMISE:
KNOWLEDGE FROM FLOOD
DISASTERS, WHICH OCCUR EVERY
DAY SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD IN
ASSOCIATION WITH RAIN, SEVERE
WINDSTORMS, AND TSUNAMIS,
IS ENOUGH TO MAKE ANY NATION
ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES TO
FACILITATE DISASTER RESILIENCE

56. FACT: GLOBAL CONSTRUCTION IN
THE FLOOD PLAIN OF RIVERS AND
ALONG COASTAL AREAS IS
EXTENSIVE; THE ASSOCIATED
POLITICAL CONTROVERSY CAUSES
MOST NATIONS TO BE SLOW TO
ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES
FOR FLOOD DISASTER RESILIENCE

57. YOURYOUR
COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY
DATA BASESDATA BASES
AND INFORMATIONAND INFORMATION
HAZARDS:
GROUND SHAKING
GROUND FAILURE
SURFACE FAULTING
TECTONIC DEFORMATION
TSUNAMI RUN UP
AFTERSHOCKS
•MONITORING
•SCENARIO MAPS
•INVENTORY
•VULNERABILITY
•LOCATION
RISK
ACCEPTABLE RISK
UNACCEPTABLE RISK
BOOKS OFBOOKS OF
KNOWLEDGEKNOWLEDGE
•PREPAREDNESS
•PROTECTION
•/EARLY WARNING
•EM RESPONSE
•RECOSTRUCTION AND
RECOVERY
FLOODI DISASTERFLOODI DISASTER
RESILIENCERESILIENCE

58. PILLARS OF FLOOD DISASTER
RESILIENCE
Anticipatory Preparedness
Adoption and Implementation of urban plans
Realistic Flood Disaster Scenarios
Timely Emergency Response (including
Emergency Medical Services)
Cost-Effective Reconstruction & Recovery

59. THE CHALLENGE:
POLICY CHANGES: CREATE, ADJUST, AND
REALIGN PROGRAMS, PARTNERS AND
PEOPLE UNTIL YOU HAVE CREATED THE
KINDS OF TURNING POINTS NEEDED FOR
MOVING TOWARDS FLOOD DISASTER
RESILIENCE

60. AN UNDER-UTILIZED GLOBAL
STRATEGY
To Create Turning Points for
Flood Disaster Resilience
 USING EDUCATIONAL SURGES CONTAINING
THE PAST AND PRESENT LESSONS TO FOSTER
AND ACCELERATE POLICY CHANGES

61. MOVING TOWARDS THE MUST-
HAPPEN GLOBAL STRATEGY
To Achieve Flood Disaster
Resilience
INTEGRATION OF SCIENTIFIC AND
TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS WITH POLITICAL
SOLUTIONS IN EVERY NATION FOR
REALISTIC POLICIES ON PREPAREDNESS,
PROTECTION, EARLY WARNING, DISASTER
SCENARIOS, EMERGENCY RESPONSE,
RECONSTRUCTION, AND RECOVERY