Application and operational procedure for formulating guidelines on flood emergency response mapping for public use

Abstract

Dilemmas occur when residents and rescue workers have no choice but to act during flood events. During emergencies, such dilemmas always hinder the safe and smooth evacuation of people. To cope with such circumstances, the level of flood emergency preparedness in local communities, which are also generally the first responders to disasters, should be enhanced well in advance of any such events. Flood Emergency Response Maps (FERMaps) are considered tools that provide the necessary information to facilitate delivery of self‐help, mutual help and external help to mitigate the impacts of flood disasters during emergencies. These types of maps also help educate people and raise their awareness regarding potential flood risks during normal times. Here, a review of the currently available literature is provided, as well as a summary of the findings based on the results of a field survey. The data are presented in the form of outlines for use in preparing flood emergency response mapping guidelines, especially in the context of developing countries. This study emphasises the importance, suitability, features, developmental procedures and application methods of developing FERMaps for public use. It is hoped that the practical information provided here will benefit the formulation of operational strategies for disaster risk management projects or programmes being conducted by concerned agencies and communities worldwide.

Lessons learned from southern and eastern Asian urban floods: from a local perspective

“…The prevailing approaches of flood risk management, particularly in developing countries, have always been questioned for their efficiency and effectiveness mainly in risk identification, project planning and designing as well as transparency and institutional capacities as elaborated by Osti et al . (2009, 2011). In order to estimate the increment in the flood risk, research studies have focused mainly on the characteristics of flood hazard especially for chosen rivers and flood plains.…”

“…Despite the fact that significant efforts have been given by many South and East Asian countries to improve the situation by shifting the paradigm from reactive to proactive, approaches currently used are still not integrated and do not focus on dynamics of flood-related problems. The prevailing approaches of flood risk management, particularly in developing countries, have always been questioned for their efficiency and effectiveness mainly in risk identification, project planning and designing as well as transparency and institutional capacities as elaborated by Osti et al (2009Osti et al ( , 2011. In order to estimate the increment in the flood risk, research studies have focused mainly on the characteristics of flood hazard especially for chosen rivers and flood plains.…”

“…In order to estimate the increment in the flood risk, research studies have focused mainly on the characteristics of flood hazard especially for chosen rivers and flood plains. These studies include, but are not limited to, the effects of an increasing rainfall trend on peak flows (Whetton et al, 1993;Kunkel et al, 1994;Bronstert et al, 2002;Kundzewicz, 2003), land-cover change (Darby, 1999;Changnon et al, 2000;Hundecha and Bardossy, 2004), upstream-downstream consequences, including infrastructure development (Costa and Schuster, 1988;Brown and Graham, 2007;Osti et al, 2009), land subsidence (Phien-wej et al, 2006), river channel contraction and bed aggradations (Lisle, 1982;Waters, 1995) and so on. However, equally important is the understanding of demography, human development, governance, and other socioeconomic and political factors.…”

Lessons learned from statistical comparison of flood impact factors among southern and eastern Asian countries

“…In general, the above discussion helps to conclude that the number of fatalities due to flood disaster at present condition is dependent on three prime factors: high population density, flood awareness level and governance quality. The meaning of high population density in disaster impact is elaborated with a Japanese example by Osti et al . (2009) in six different points, including complexities in evacuation and rescue operation as well as attitude and behaviour of population in newly urbanized areas.…”

“…There is no globally agreed definition of disaster risk; however, United Nation's International Strategy for Disaster Reduction defines it as the probability of harmful consequences, or expected losses (deaths, injuries, property loss, livelihoods disruption, economic and environmental damages) resulting from interactions between natural or man‐made hazards and vulnerable conditions. Flood risk is a dynamic perception within a culture, which defines it (Kelman, 2003; Osti et al ., 2009) and can be roughly framed by the level of flood hazard, exposed values and vulnerability as outlined by Crichton (1999). Therefore, increase in flood losses can be attributed to changes in each or a combination of these aspects.…”