Flooding occurs somewhere in the world approximately 10,000 times every day as the consequences of a locale having more water than the local water cycle can process within its physical limits. 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. What have we learned from recent floods to increase survivability and decrease socioeconomic losses? First of all, the timing of anticipatory actions is vital. 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. Secondly, timely, realistic disaster scenarios save lives. The people who have timely, realistic, advance information that facilitates reduction of vulnerabilities, and hence the risks will survive. Thirdly, Emergency preparedness and 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. 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. 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, and high levels of morbidity and mortality) is vital for survival. And finally, engineered infrastructure save lives. Infrastructure engineered to withstand the risks from floods (e.g., damage, failure, and loss of function), is vital for survival. 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. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is, 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. Presentation courtesy of Dr. Walter Hays, Global Alliance For Disaster Reduction

1. LEARNING FROM GLOBAL
DISASTER LABORATORIES
PART 7: FLOODS

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

3. 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.

4. FLOODING ALSO TRIGGERS
LANDSLIDES THAT CAN
ALSO CAUSE A DISASTER
(see part 9)

5. LOSS OF FUNCTION OF
STRUCTURES IN FLOODPLAIN
FLOODS
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
FLOOD
DISASTER
LABORATORIES

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

7. 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

9. 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.

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

11. INUNDATION

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

13. • 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

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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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).
•

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

19. • 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

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

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

23. 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 one
million people.

24. FLOODING: GUIZHOU PROVINCE;
27 MAY

25. FUJIAN RIVER: JUNE 6

26. FLOODING: GUANGDONG PROVINCE
JUNE 15

27. 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.

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

30. 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.

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

34. LOCATION OF CUMBRIA,
ENGLAND

35. AERIAL VIEW OF COLLAPSED
BRIDGE: CUMBRIA AREA

36. COLLAPSED BRIDGE:
CUMBRIA AREA

37. FLOODING: CUMBRIA AREA

38. FLOODING: CUMBRIA AREA

39. FLOODING: COCKERMOUTH

40. FLOODING: CUMBRIA AREA

41. FLOODING: CUMBRIA AREA

42. FLOODING: CUMBRIA AREA

43. RESCUE: CUMBRIA AREA

44. RESCUE: CUMBRIA AREA

45. RESCUE: CUMBRIA AREA

46. 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.

47. 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.

48. 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.

49. LESSON: PUBLIC HEALTH
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.

50. 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.

51. 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

52. 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

53. YOUR
COMMUNITY
DATA BASES
AND 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 OF
KNOWLEDGE
•PREPAREDNESS
•PROTECTION
•/EARLY WARNING
•EM RESPONSE
•RECOSTRUCTION AND
RECOVERY
FLOODI DISASTER
RESILIENCE

54. 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

55. 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

56. 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

57. 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