Changes in transport accessibility as a result of flooding: a case study of the Mazovia Province (Eastern Poland)

This paper presents the results of research investigating the impact of flooding on the temporal aspect of transport accessibility at national, regional and local levels in the Mazovia Province – an administrative region in Poland. For the purposes of this study the authors measured the theoretical journey times by private transport between settlement units for two variants: journeys made under normal circumstances, that is, without a flood; and journeys made during a flood event, which would necessitate diversions to avoid flooded road sections. This allowed the theoretical journey time differences to be calculated. It was assumed that vehicles move at the highest permissible speed along routes allowing the shortest travel times. The methods of accessibility assessment employed in this paper are based on distance measurements and use isochrones and a cumulative approach. Analysis carried out by the authors has shown that for interregional, intraregional and local journeys, the flooding of a part of the Mazovia region results in changes in travel times, but their absolute and relative magnitudes vary widely. It was found that in the case of national scale journeys the majority of relative journey time increases were no greater than three times the normal duration, while on a local scale they do not exceed 75%. For areas with a high risk of flooding there should be obligatory analyses of changes in transport accessibility; this would facilitate effective flood risk management. Appropriate traffic management in crisis situations would facilitate emergency and rescue services and help inhabitants and any other persons in flooded areas.     

The Flood Myth in the Age of Global Climate Change

When released, The Day After Tomorrow was widely described by critics and the movie's creators as a pro-environmentalist film. This essay argues that The Day After Tomorrow articulates a variation of apocalyptic discourse identified as a flood myth. The authors conclude that this version of the flood myth largely undermines contemporary environmental discourse that attempts to generate public activism in addressing ecological problems, by replacing an emphasis on human efficacy with symbolic vindication and exchanging collective effort for individual survivalism. The film thus serves as a cautionary tale about the potential consequences of contemporary mythic discourse presented as supporting environmental activism.     

1949—1994年中国洪水灾害成灾面积的时序分形特征

作者应用１９４９～１９９４年中国洪水灾情资料,重构了其嵌入相空间序列,探讨了其时序的分形特征,计算得到了分维数。研究表明：洪水灾害成灾面积的时序分布具有分形特征。研究结果为建立洪水灾害成灾面积的时序预测预报模型提供依据。     

江苏沿海地区的相对海平面上升及其灾害性影响研究

江苏海岸是全国潮滩最集中分布区，其面积约占全国的１／４，沿海地区地势低平，相对海平面上升幅度较大，是全国少数几个受海平面上升危害最严重的地区之一。初步估算，２１世纪前半期该地区不同岸段相对海平面上升速率将可能达到４．５～９．５ｍｍ／ａ，约为同期全球平均上升速率的２～３倍。其灾害性影响主要集中在：①造成堤外潮滩湿地资源损失，相对海平面上升５０ｃｍ，因直接淹没、侵蚀加剧和淤涨减缓造成的潮滩损失面积将超过５×１０４ｈｍ２，湿地损失面积达２．４×１０４ｈｍ２；②降低海堤防御标准、危及海堤自身和受保护地区安全，相对海平面上升５０ｃｍ，该地区现有海堤防御标准将由现状５０～１００年一遇降为２０～５０年一遇；遇５０年一遇风暴高潮位，全区受潮水漫溢的海堤长度将比现状增加１７３ｋｍ以上，占海堤总长的１／４；③阻碍低洼地的洪水排泄、加剧洪涝灾害损失，相对海平面上升４０ｃｍ，苏北里下河和苏南太湖湖东两片洼地的自然排水能力将可能分别下降约２５％和２０％，若两洼地分别重现１９９１年型和１９５４年型洪水，则因海平面上升增加的受淹面积将超过４×１０４ｈｍ２     

1994年江西省主要自然灾害综述

１９９４年江西省发生了历史上罕见的风雹灾害和洪涝灾害，受灾面积近４４万ｈａ，受灾人口１１４４万人，直接经济损失高达６３亿元，系全国重灾省份之一．本文对其中的三次主要自然灾害的灾因、灾情及减灾中的问题、经验和教训进行总结与分析。     

浅谈系统论方法在防汛抗灾工作中的应用

本文以系统论方法为指导,概括地分析了防汛抗灾系统的组成、特征以及系统论方法对防汛抗灾工作的作用,并结合防汛抗灾工作的实际,应用系统论的基本原理,提出了防汛抗灾系统整体与要素的组织管理方法,探讨了如何充分发挥防汛抗灾系统的整体功能,取得最佳运行效果的途径。     

Improvements on Flood Alleviation in Germany: Lessons Learned from the Elbe Flood in August 2002

The increase in damage due to natural disasters is directly related to the number of people who live and work in hazardous areas and continuously accumulate assets. Therefore, land use planning authorities have to manage effectively the establishment and development of settlements in flood-prone areas in order to avoid the further increase of vulnerable assets. Germany faced major destruction during the flood in August 2002 in the Elbe and Danube catchments, and many changes have been suggested in the existing German water and planning regulations. This article presents some findings of a “Lessons Learned” study that was carried out in the aftermath of the flood and discusses the following topics: 1) the establishment of comprehensive hazard maps and flood protection concepts, 2) the harmonization of regulations of flood protection at the federal level, 3) the communication of the flood hazard and awareness strategies, and 4) how damage potential can be minimized through measures of area precaution such as resettlement and risk-adapted land use. Although attempts towards a coordinated and harmonized creation of flood hazard maps and concepts have been made, there is still no uniform strategy at all planning levels and for all states (Lae nder) of the Federal Republic of Germany. The development and communication of possible mitigation strategies for “unthinkable extreme events” beyond the common safety level of a 100-year flood are needed. In order to establish a sustainable and integrated flood risk management, interdisciplinary and catchment-based approaches are needed.     

Flood monitoring in a semi-arid environment using spatially high resolution radar and optical data

The geographic term "Niger Inland Delta" stands for a vast plain of approximately 40,000 km(2), which is situated in the western Sahel (Republic of Mali). The Inland Delta is affected by yearly inundation through the variable water levels of the Niger-Bani river system. Due to a good availability of (surface) water, the ecosystem at the Niger Inland Delta serves as resting place stop-over for many migrating birds and other wildlife species as well as economic base for farmers and pastoral people. To foster the sustainable usage of its natural resources and to protect this natural heritage, the entire Niger Inland Delta became RAMSAR site in 2004. This paper aims to test to which extent texture analysis can improve the quality of flood monitoring in a semi-arid environment using spatially high resolution ASAR imaging mode data. We found the Gray Level Dependence Method (GLDM) was most suitable proceeding for our data. Several statistical parameters were calculated via co-occurrence matrices and were used to classify the images in different gradation of soil moisture classes. In a second step we used additional information from spatially high resolution optical data (ASTER) to improve the separability of open water areas from moisture/vegetated areas.     

1991年江淮流域特大洪涝灾害的太阳活动背景

正值太阳活动22峰期间,1991年夏江淮流域下游发生特大洪涝灾害,这是符合于江淮下游地区历史旱涝变化与太阳活动关系的一次洪涝灾害。太阳活动通过影响大气环流、副高活动是造成洪涝灾害的重要因素之一。     

Flood policy reversal in australia

In 1977 the Government of New South Wales introduced a flood prone lands policy which attempted to break with the past emphasis on structural works. Cornerstones of the policy were the preparation of floodplain maps, and use of the 1:100 (100 year or 1%) flood to delineate floodplains and 1:20 flood for floodway definition. The fiscal and regulatory elements of the policy were to be applied more or less uniformly within the two zones. At first there was little effective opposition to the program, but this changed when large areas of Sydney, which had not been inundated since development, were mapped. Local government concern over issues of legal liability led to decisions which in turn prompted opposition to the policy from residents' action groups and property development interests. A perceived drop in property values provided the main motivation for action by residents. This pressure for change, which intensified just before the 1984 state election, saw the policy overturned.
The new policy gives local government greater responsibility for floodplain management. State authorities have withdrawn from floodplain mapping, although technical advice will continue to be provided, and there are no longer any uniform floodplain or floodway definitions. Policy implementation is to be guided by a Manual which attempts to define flood hazard in terms of both physical and social criteria.