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. We continue to operate with a flawed premise: Knowledge from flood disasters, which occur in association with great subduction zone earthquakes in the Pacific and Indian oceans and are very well understood, therefore flood disaster resilience should be accomplished relatively easily by vulnerable countries. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is, floods are not annual events; they are also complex, so most nations, whether impacted or not, usually are slow to adopt and implement policies based on science and recent catastrophic events making flood disaster resilience a very elusive goal to achieve. What have we learned from recent past floods to increase survivability? First of all, the timing of anticipatory actions is vital. People who know: 1) what to expect (e.g., strong ground motion, soil effects, flood wave run up, ground failure), where and when floods have historically happened, 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 associated with strong ground shaking, flood wave run up, and ground failure will survive. Thirdly, Emergency preparedness and response. The “Uncontrollable and Unthinkable” events will always hinder the timing of emergency response operations, especially the search and rescue operations that are limited to “the golden 48 hours.” 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, earthquake engineer building save lives. Buildings engineered to withstand the risks from an earthquake’s strong ground shaking and ground failure that cause damage, collapse, and loss of function, is vital for protecting occupants and users from death and injury. Presentation courtesy of Dr. Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction

1. FLOODS. THE GLOBAL DISASTER LABORATORY
MODEL: AN INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK FOR
GLOBAL DISASTER RESILIENCE

2. FRAMEWORK 1
A COMPREHENSIVE, INTER-
DISCIPLINARY DIALOGUE
ON
GLOBAL DISASTERS
AND DISASTER RESILIENCE

3. 1. SCOPE
FROM VULNERABLE CONTINUUMS
TO
A DISASTER
TO
DISASTER RESILIENT COMMUNITIES
THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION OF
“THE BEST POLICIES AND BEST
PRACTICES” OF DISASTER RESILIENCE

4. A DISASTER is ---
--- the set of failures that occur when
the continuums of: 1) people, 2)
community (i.e., a set of habitats,
livelihoods, and social constructs),
and 3) recurring events (e.g., floods,
earthquakes, ...,) intersect at a point in
space and time, when and where the
people and community are not ready.

5. THREE DYNAMIC CONTINUUMS
• PEOPLE (7+ Billion and
counting)
• COMMUNITIES
• RECURRING EVENTS
(AKA Natural Hazards, which are
proof of a DYNAMIC EARTH)

6. PEOPLE = INNOVATION
200 NATIONS AND 7+
BILLION PEOPLE
NORTH
AMERICA
CARIBBEAN
BASIN
SUB-SAHARA
AFRICA
MEDITER-
RANEAN
ISLAND
NATIONS
ASIA
SOUTH
AMERICA
EUROPE

7. INTERSECTION OF THESE
CONTINUUMS IS INEVITABLE
SOME INTERSECTIONS WILL
CAUSE A DISASTER,
AND SOME WON’T

8. THE PEOPLE CONTINUUM
• 7 + BILLION
(DISTRIBUTED
THROUGHOUT
THE WORLD)

9. LIKE AN INFINITE SERIES: A CONTINUUM
OF INNOVATION NEVER ENDS

10. LIKE A CHAIN: A CONTINUUM
HAS WEAK LINKS TO IMPROVE

11. FOUR UNIVERSAL WEAK-LINKS
• IGNORANCE
• APATHY
• DISCIPLINARY
BOUNDARIES
• LACK OF POLITICAL WILL

12. THE COMMUNITY CONTINUUM:
(SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS TO BENEFIT THE PEOPLE)
• GOVERNMENT
• DWELLINGS
• SCHOOLS
• HEALTH CARE
FACILITIES
• BUSINESSES
• INFRA-
STRUCTURE
• ETC

13. EACH COMMUNITY MUST BE
READY FOR THE INEVITABLE
INTERSECTION THAT WILL
CHALLENGE ITS
STATE-OF-RESILIENCE

14. THE RECURRING - EVENTS
CONTINUUM
• FLOODS
• SEVERE
WINDSTORMS
• EARTHQUAKES
• DROUGHTS
• VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS
• ETC.

15. RECURRING EARTHQUAKES

16. RECURRING TROPICAL STORMS
TYPHOONS, HURRICANES, AND CYCLONES

17. RECURRING FLOODS

18. RECURRING DROUGHT
EPISODES

19. RECURRING VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS

20. CURRENT KNOWLEDGE
IS DEFINED BY ANECTDOTAL,
EMPIRICAL, LINEAR, NON-LINEAR,
STATISTICAL, FUZZY,
PROBABILISTIC, . . . AND
THEORETICAL MODELS
HAVING DIVIDES, GAPS, AND
UNCERTAINTIES

21. FRAMEWORK 2
A COMPREHENSIVE, INTER-
DISCIPLINARY INTEGRATION
OF KNOWLEDGE FOR
THE END GAME OF
DISASTER RESILIENCE
IN THE 21ST CENTURY

22. POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
Anticipatory Preparedness
Adoption and Implementation of a Modern
Engineering Building Codes & Standards
Timely Early Warning and Evacuation
Timely Emergency Response (including
Emergency Medical Services)
Cost-Effective Recovery/Reconstruction

23. YOUR
COMMUNITYDATA BASES
AND INFORMATION
HAZARDS:
GROUND SHAKING
GROUND FAILURE
SURFACE FAULTING
TECTONIC DEFORMATION
TSUNAMI RUN UP
AFTERSHOCKS
•FLOODS
•SEVERE WIND
STORMS
•EARTHQUAKES
…ETC
A DISASTER
CAUSES
FAILURES IN POLICIES
FAILURES IN PRACTICES
COUNTER MEASURES
• BEST POLICIES
•BEST PRACTICES
DISASTER RESILIENCE

24. THE END GAME CHALLENGE
BEST POLICIES AND BEST PRACTICES
INNIVATIVE ACTIONS: CREATE, ADJUST,
AND REALIGN PROGRAMS, PARTNERS AND
PEOPLE UNTIL YOU HAVE CREATED THE
PARA-DIGM SHIFTS THAT ARE NEEDED
FOR MOVING TOWARDS DISASTER
RESILIENCE

25. BEST POLICIES AND BEST
PRACTICES
WILL IDENTIFY/CLOSE
KNOWLEDGE DIVIDES AND GAPS,
AND
IDENTIFY/FIX WEAK LINKS IN THE
PEOPLE/COMMUNITY
CONTINUUMS

26. BEST POLICIES AND BEST
PRACTICES WILL
CALL FOR INNOVATIVE
USE OF TECHNOLOGY
AND STRATEGIC
PLANNING

27. THE STATE-OF-RESILIENCE WILL
INCREASE EXPONEBTIALLY AS ---
a) The CAPACITY of the PEOPLE is
increased, b) Physical and
organizational VULNERABILITIES in
the COMMUNITY are eliminated, and
c) Each people-community-hazard
INTERSECTION is met successfully.

28. FLOODS

30. INNOVATIVE PREPAREDNESS
USE GLOBAL FLOOD DISASTER
LABORATORIES AS A BASIS FOR
PREPARING FROM “A”
(Emergency Response) TO “Z”
(Recovery and Reconstruction)

31. EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

32. EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR
FLOOD DISASTER RESILIENCE
• REAL TIME WEATHER
FORCASTING AND
WARNING SYSTEMS
• MEASURMENT
TECHNOLOGIES (E.G.,
STREAM GAGUES)
• RISK MODELING (E.G.,
HAZUS, INSURANCE
UNDERWRITING)
• DATABASES
• MAPS: 100-YEAR AND
500-YEAR FLOODS
• FLOOD DISASTER
SCENARIOS
• DRONE PLANES
• HAZMAT
MANAGEMENT

33. FLOOD DISASTER
RESILIENCETRATEGIES

34. RISK REDUCTION STRATEGIES
FOR FLOODS
• PURPOSE
• PREVENTION
• PROTECTION
• URBAN PLANNING
• TECHNIQUE
• DRAINAGE BASIN
MANAGEMENT
• FLOOD CONTROL
(DIKES, LEVEES,
AND DAMS)
• HAZARD MAPS
(RISK ZONES)

35. DRAINAGE BASIN
MANAGEMENT
• WETLANDS AND ,
UPSTREAM
RESERVOIRS
REDUCE THE
VOLUME OF
WATER REACHING
DOWNSTREAM
LOCATIONS

36. PROTECTION
USE MODERN ENGINEERING DESIGN
AND CONSTRUCTION
TECHNOLOGIES TO PROTECT THE
PEOPLE AND IMPORTANT
INFRASTRUCTURE AND TO FIX
PHYSICAL VULNERABILITIES IN THE
COMMUNITY

37. DIKES, LEVEES, AND DAMS
• BUILDING AND
MAINTAINING DIKES,
LEVEES, AND DAMS
IN CONCERT WITH
WETLANDS AND
RESERVOIRS CAN
CONTROL SERVERITY
OF FLOODING .

38. EXAMPLE: THE LEVEE SYSTEM IN
QUINCY, IL: FLOOD CONTROL
• THE 154-MILE-LONG
LEVEE SYSTEM IS
DESIGNED TO
REDUCE THE
LIKELIHOOD AND
SEVERITY OF FLOODS
ON THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER.

39. EXAMPLE: THREE GORGES DAM,
CHINA: FLOOD CONTROL
• THE GREATEST
ENGINEERING FEAT
IN CHINA SINCE THE
GREAT WALL IS
DESIGNED TO
REDUCE THE
LIKELIHOOD AND
SEVERITY OF FLOODS
ON THE YANGTZE
RIVER.

40. THREE GORGES DAM: 2309 M
LONG, 190 M HIGH, 15 M THICK

41. YANGTZE RIVER

42. FLOODING: YANGTZE RIVER
• Historical records indicate
that in 2,100 years, between
the early Han Dynasty and
late Qing Dynasty, the
Yangzte flooded 214 times,
an average of once every 10
years.

43. YANGTZE RIVER AND THREE
GORGES DAM

44. THREE GORGES DAM
• The Three Gorges
Dam is located in
Central China's Hubei
Province, 600 miles
southwest of Beijing.
• It replaced Brazil's
Itaipu Dam as the
world's largest
hydroelectric and
flood-control
installation.
• After 13 years of
work and 35
million cubic
yards of concrete,
the dam reached
its full height of
190 m (606 ft) and
width of 2,309 m
(7,575 ft) across
the Yangtze River.

45. FLOOD CONTROL ON THE THAME
RIVER RIVER: LONDON, ENGLAND

46. URBAN PLANNING
• LAND USE
REGULATIONS
BASED ON FLOOD
HAZARD MAPS CAN
PREVENT UNWISE
CON-STRUCTION IN
RIVER FLOODPLAINS
AND IN COASTAL
AREAS.

47. STRATEGIES FOR FLOOD
DISASTER RESILIENCE
• PURPOSE
• SITE MODIFICATION
• ALERT/WARNING
• MONITORING
•
• TECHNIQUE
• EMBANKMENTS;
SANDBAGS
• EVACUATION
• INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION;
WEATHER RADAR

48. STRATEGIES FOR FLOOD
DISASTER RESILIENCE
• PURPOSE
• RISK ZONES
• PREPAREDNESS
• TECHNIQUE
• STREAM GAGUES;
DRONE PLANES
• 100-500 YEAR
FLOOD MAPS,
DISASTER
SCENARIOS

49. FORECASTS, ALERTS, AND
WARNINGS; EVACUATION
• WORKS FOR
RIVERINE FLOODS,
BUT NOT FOR
FLASH FLOODS.

50. SITE MODIFICATION IN THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN
• EMPLACING 2.5
MILLION SAND
BAGS REDUCED
LOSSES IN THE
GREAT 1992
FLOOD

51. SAND BAGS: SITE MODIFICATION IN THE
FLOOD OF JUNE 12, 2008 IN IOWA

54. FLOOD DISASTER RESILIENCE
STRATEGIES
• PURPOSE
• CLEAR OUT THE
FLOODPLAIN
• FACILITATE
RECOVERY AND
RECONSTRUCTION
• TECHNIQUE
• FEDERAL BUYOUT
PROGRAM
• FEDERAL FLOOD
INSURANCE
PROGRAM

56. FLOOD INSURANCE: SPEEDING
RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION
• FLOOD INSURANCE
IS OFFERED FOR
PURCHASE BY THE
FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT OF
THE UNITED
STATES

57. BUYOUTS: CLEARING THE
FLOODPLAIN
• IN THE USA,
BUYOUTS OF
HOMES IN THE
FLOODPLAIN
(FOLLOWED BY
DEMOLATION OR
RELOCATION)
REDUCED RISK
FROM FLOODING