Effects of the 2008 flood on economic performance and food security in Yemen: a simulation analysis

Extreme weather events such as floods and droughts can have devastating consequences for individual well being and economic development, in particular in poor societies with limited availability of coping mechanisms. Combining a dynamic computable general equilibrium model of the Yemeni economy with a household‐level calorie consumption simulation model, this paper assesses the economy‐wide, agricultural and food security effects of the 2008 tropical storm and flash flood that hit the Hadramout and Al‐Mahrah governorates. The estimation results suggest that agricultural value added, farm household incomes and rural food security deteriorated long term in the flood‐affected areas. Due to economic spillover effects, significant income losses and increases in food insecurity also occurred in areas that were unaffected by flooding. This finding suggests that while most relief efforts are typically concentrated in directly affected areas, future efforts should also consider surrounding areas and indirectly affected people.     

Floods on opposite German borders

Abstract

The Rhine and the Oder rivers have many similarities. Both are subject to comparable hydroclimate regimes, are flood prone, are international waterways and have been extensively modified by humans over many hundreds of years. Yet the recent history of flooding on the German sections of these rivers is distinctively different. Most communities along the Rhine seem to take floods in stride whereas along the Oder they have been highly disruptive. The disruption has provided a mechanism for helping to integrate disparate parts of the newly reunified German states emergency management system and has highlighted continuing differences between Polish and German flood experiences.     

Community social capital and individual functioning in the post‐disaster context

Disasters can have severe and long‐lasting consequences for individuals and communities. While scholarly evidence indicates that access to social support can ameliorate their negative impacts, less understood is whether or not neighbourhood social capital can facilitate recovery. This study uses two waves of survey data—collected before and after a significant flood in Brisbane, Australia, in 2011—to examine the relationship between the severity of the event at the individual and neighbourhood level, access to neighbourhood social capital and individual‐level social support, and functioning in the post‐disaster environment. In line with previous research, the results indicate that the severity of the flood is the most salient predictor of post‐disaster functioning. No evidence was unearthed to show that neighbourhood social capital amassed before the flood leads to better functioning subsequently, but the findings do suggest that individual‐level social support can moderate the effect of flood severity on functioning.     

Flood management in Canada at the crossroads

Abstract

Although Canadian flood management efforts have gained worldwide recognition, flood damages continue to increase. The current practice for preventing, responding to and recovering from floods in Canada is described by focusing attention on the 1997 Red River and 1996 Saguenay River floods. A set of cultures is identified that contribute to the trend of increasing flood damages. These include a culture of conflict, a culture of land development, a culture that impeded native people from easily implementing flood management programs, a culture of institutional fragmentation and a culture of dependency. These foster an inevitable cycle of increasing flood damages. The potential of recent proposals made by Emergency Preparedness Canada and the Insurance Bureau of Canada to address these cultures is assessed. While these documents represent significant progress, they continue to adopt an intermittent project rather an ongoing program perspective, fail to identify the need to adopt specific initiatives tailored for aboriginal communities, and ignore the need to enhance the operational capacity of relevant public and private participants. Addressing these requirements will further reduce future losses and vulnerability.     

Foundations of indigenous knowledge on disasters due to natural hazards: lessons from the outlook on floods among the Bayira of the Rwenzori region

The role of indigenous knowledge in increasing context specificity and exposing blind spots in scientific understanding is widely evidenced in disaster studies. This paper aims to structure the processes that shape indigenous knowledge production and its optimisation using the case of floods. An inductive analytical approach is applied among riparian indigenous communities (focus on the Bayira) of the Rwenzori region of Uganda where plenty of indigenous flood practices have been recorded. Indigenous knowledge of floods is found to be based on intimate comprehension of local hydrometeorological regularities. Insofar as these regularities follow natural dynamics, indigenous socio-epistemic processes are noted to be consistent with the laws of nature. Coupled with regular open sociocultural deliberations, the conceptualisation of hydrometeorological regularities induces an indigenous ontology and empiricist epistemology. This, together with the techniques used, is the driver of crucial epistemic virtues which enable indigenous knowledge to provide disaster solutions that are adapted, pragmatic, and holistic.     

Typhoon hazards in the Shanghai area

There are three major typhoon hazards that apply to the Shanghai area. First, galeforce winds can damage buildings and service facilities. The most severe damage from this occurs only when a typhoon strikes Shanghai directly. Second, both the urban and rural sections of Shanghai are liable to flooding during typhoon seasons. These floods occur when typhoon-induced storm surges coincide with high spring tides and meet with high discharges from the river network as a result of the typhoon downpours. Third, typhoon-induced torrential rain has caused waterlog hazards, particularly in the most densely populated parts of Shanghai. The waterlog hazard has been exacerbated by land subsidence and poor management of pumping systems. In order to prevent disasters happening and reduce the scale of damage, the government has issued construction guidelines and invested in flood defences. Further measures are to be brought in including engineering projects, educational programmes and insurance policies.     

About bridges and bonds: community responses to the 2000 floods in Mabalane district, Mozambique

Massive floods hit Mozambique in 2000.1 Many of the affected regions benefited from external aid. This paper investigates how the floods impacted on two communities in the interior of the Limpopo Valley, which did not receive significant assistance during the event and in the immediate aftermath. Drawing on the livelihood approach, it focuses on the role of two types of local resources: knowledge and social capital. The paper shows that the scale of the 2000 floods surpassed the response capacity of these resources and looks at how wealth and gender influenced access by households to the local support mechanisms that enhance survival and recovery. It appears that the floods mainly affected wealthier households, as these more frequently lost houses and cattle. The paper points to the importance of ploughs and cattle for local support mechanisms, which, in turn, most likely reduced the capacities of communities to recover from the disaster.     

Flooding and schools: experiences in Hull in 2007

Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom, suffered severe flooding in June 2007, affecting some 8,600 households and most schools. Despite the potential for damage in such disasters, no studies of the effects of floods on teachers and schools in the UK appear to have been published previously. This study analysed the impacts of the floods on teachers in Hull in two stages: first through correspondence with Hull City Council and a mailed questionnaire to 91 head teachers of primary, secondary, and special schools; and second, through in‐depth interviews with head teachers from six flooded schools, representing different degrees of flood experience, and a questionnaire completed by eight teachers from the same schools. The findings reveal the importance and the complexity of the role of the school in the wider community in a time of crisis. The study highlights issues concerning preparedness for floods, support for schools, and flood protection for schools.     

Flooding,resettlement, and change in livelihoods: evidence from rural Mozambique

Post‐disaster development policies, such as resettlement, can have major impacts on communities. This paper examines how and why people's livelihoods change as a result of resettlement, and relocated people's views of such changes, in the context of natural disasters. It presents two historically‐grounded, comparative case studies of post‐flood resettlement in rural Mozambique. The studies demonstrate a movement away from rain‐fed subsistence agriculture towards commercial agriculture and non‐agricultural activities. The ability to secure a viable livelihood was a key determinant of whether resettlers remained in their new locations or returned to the river valleys despite the risks posed by floods. The findings suggest that more research is required to understand i) why resettlers choose to stay in or abandon designated resettlement areas, ii) what is meant by ‘voluntary’ and ‘involuntary’ resettlement in the realm of post‐disaster reconstruction, and iii) the policy drivers of resettlement in developing countries.     

黄河北干流与渭河相遇洪水分析

黄河北干流与渭河位于黄土高原，暴雨是洪水的重要成因．本文分析了近２０００年的历史资料，提出该地区的洪水具有周期性，１９世纪洪水达到高峰，２０世纪洪水规模有所降低，并分析了黄河北干流与渭河及其支流径、洛河洪水相遇问题：四河相遇的概率很小，多形成特大洪水，两河相遇是较常发生的事件，多形成中等以下洪水。三门峡水库的淤积使该地区洪水灾害加剧．同时还分析了该地区洪水对黄河下游洪水的影响。     

Environmental knowledge and human experience: using a historical analysis of flooding in Ireland to challenge contemporary risk narratives and develop creative policy alternatives

Focusing on three of the largest coastal cities in the Republic of Ireland, this paper highlights the importance of a historical analysis of flood hazards in contextualising current events and potential future risks. Over the last decade, the cities of Dublin, Cork and Galway have experienced several major coastal, river and pluvial floods. In the aftermath of these floods, two distinct but related narratives have dominated public discourse and official responses. The first narrative presents recent floods as unprecedented and as possible evidence of climate change. The second constructs floods primarily as natural events and assumes that the optimal means of reducing flood losses is to prevent flood events. In this paper, I suggest that these narratives are not supported by a historical analysis of exposure and vulnerability to flood hazards in Irish cities. This paper draws primarily on newspaper archives to construct a record of past flooding that challenges these narratives in several ways and in doing so offers lessons for similar cities in other countries. I contend that these narratives are perpetuated by a narrow form of knowledge production (quantitative risk assessment) and a narrow range of data (numeric instrumental records). Incorporating a broader range of sources and data types into risk and vulnerability assessments may illuminate more creative strategies for reducing both contemporary and future flood losses.     

山区乡村房屋模型洪水冲击试验研究

洪水对山区乡村房屋冲击作用的试验研究成果,可为山区乡村房屋的抗洪设计和抗洪能力评价提供依据。试验主要研究到溃口不同距离处的乡村房屋所受的洪水冲击作用。采用3种开洞率模型进行试验,研究洪水在不同距离、不同开洞率的情况下对房屋结构的冲击荷载分布、冲击力大小以及冲击弯矩的影响,得出了荷载分布规律和冲击力、冲击弯矩的变化规律。研究结果表明,迎水面冲击荷载沿水平方向的变化无明显规律,沿竖直方向随着高度的增大而逐渐减小;冲击力随着房屋到溃口距离的增大而增大,而开洞率对其影响不明显;冲击弯矩、冲击作用力随着距离的增大而增大,随着开洞率的增大而减小。     

Values and floodplain management: Case studies from the Red River Basin,Canada

Where floods are prevalent, decisions on how to mitigate vulnerability are made within a social-cultural context that includes values (and related customs, norms, beliefs, technology) of local people, which have evolved through interactions with the physical environment. Consequently, the success of floodplain management and flood mitigation activities is determined, at least in part, by the nature of values that impact the decision-making process. This paper explores this contention by considering the community values context surrounding flood risk management in two small Canadian communities in the Red River Basin.

Using a qualitative methodology that includes semi-structured interviews with residents, community values are identified and accounted for in the context of flood vulnerability. Values discussions are organized around seven broad categories: community identity and community attributes; community economic development; technical and nonstructural approaches; civic engagement; flood legacy; personal rights and liberties; and shared values. Challenges posed by key identified values and their policy implications are considered. Some values are found to act as constraints if sustainable floodplain management practices are to be realized.     

江苏省典型年梅雨洪涝灾害对比分析

梅雨期降水形成的洪涝和枯梅年产生的干旱是江苏省主要的气象灾害.为了能客观地划分各年梅雨的旱涝等级,从而为防灾减灾决策提供依据,利用江苏省近50年来的梅雨资料,考虑梅期持时长短、梅期平均日雨量及暴雨日数等3个因子,给出了梅雨强度计算模型及梅期旱涝指标,较好地反映了江苏省每年各地的梅期旱涝状况.结合实际灾情,确定了典型梅雨洪涝年的标准.针对1954,1991和2003年3个比较典型的梅雨洪涝年,进行了详细的比较分析,结果表明:(1)长江及淮河流域上游的客水、入梅之前的降水量和梅期降水会直接影响该省梅雨期的洪涝灾情;(2)1991年的洪涝是历年来最为严重的,1954年的洪涝稍重于2003年;(3)3个典型梅雨洪涝年中全省最涝的地区都位于沿淮地区或江淮之间地区的北部,淮北地区这3年中都出现了较重的涝灾,淮北南部的灾情重于北部.     

An analysis of the causes and circumstances of flood disaster deaths

The objective of this paper is to investigate and to improve understanding of the causes and circumstances of flood disaster deaths. A standardised method of classifying flood deaths is proposed and the difficulties associated with comparing and assessing existing information on flood deaths are discussed. Thirteen flood cases from Europe and the United States, resulting in 247 flood disaster fatalities, were analysed and taken as indicative of flood disaster deaths. Approximately two-thirds of the deaths occurred through drowning. Thus, a substantial number of flood disaster fatalities are not related to drowning. Furthermore, males are highly vulnerable to dying in floods and unnecessary risk-taking behaviour contributes significantly to flood disaster deaths. Based on these results, recommendations are made to prevent loss of life in floods. To provide a more solid basis for the formulation of prevention strategies, better systematic recording of flood fatalities is suggested, especially those caused by different types of floods in all countries.     

洞庭湖区退田还湖的洪水效应模拟

洞庭湖多年平均削减入湖洪峰流量约10000m3/s,这对于保护长江中下游,特别是中游地区的防洪安全十分重要.但由于泥沙的严重淤积,以及湖泊湿地被大规模垦殖,使洞庭湖的调蓄功能下降,江湖洪水威胁加剧.1998年长江流域发生特大洪涝灾害,中央及时提出了"退田还湖、平垸行洪"等长江流域洪水治理的32字指导原则,洞庭湖区是实施该原则的重点地区.应用数值模拟方法,通过建立洞庭湖与长江耦合的水动力学数值模型,针对1998年洪水,模拟研究了洞庭湖区退田还湖的洪水效应,并设计了8种方案分别进行定量评估.结果显示,退田还湖工程的实施,对降低洞庭湖区江湖洪水位,缓解江湖洪水威胁具有重要意义.     

Health and social impacts of a flood disaster: responding to needs and implications for practice

Carlisle in northwest England suffered its worse floods for more than 180 years in 2005. A study, reported here, was undertaken to assess the health and social impacts of these floods via in‐depth, taped individual and focus‐group interviews with people whose homes had been flooded and with agency workers who helped them. Respondents spoke of physical health ailments, psychological stress, water health‐and‐safety issues related to the floods, and disputes with insurance and construction companies, which they felt had caused and exacerbated psychological health problems. Support workers also suffered from psychological stress. Furthermore, it was found that people had low expectations of a flood and were not prepared. The findings are presented in five sections covering flood risk awareness, water contamination issues, physical health, mental health, and impact on frontline support workers. The discussion focuses on the implications of the findings for policy and practice vis‐à‐vis psychological health provision, contamination issues, training and support for frontline support workers, matters relating to restoration, and preparation for flooding.     

‘Are you prepared?’ Representations and management of floods in Lomanikoro,Rewa (Fiji)

The islands of Fiji, in the Western Pacific, are exposed to a wide range of natural hazards. Tropical storms and associated floods are recurring natural phenomena, but it has been regularly alleged that Fijians lack preparation, over‐rely on state assistance in post‐disaster situations or engage in risky behaviours that aggravate the negative impact of floods. Risk reduction strategies, which are now implemented by government authorities and international organisations, heavily promote the principle of ‘community preparedness’. Both community awareness programmes and capacity‐building programmes are conducted throughout the country in the most vulnerable communities. This paper analyses how the inhabitants of Lomanikoro village, in the low areas of the Rewa Delta, perceive and manage existing flood risks. It examines social and cultural factors that contribute to shape risk response locally—in particular, why villagers may be reluctant to adopt some recommended preparedness measures and resettle in higher, safer zones.     

中国历史洪水和洪水灾害的自然历史特征

在较长的时段内,考察分析洪水和洪水灾害的自然历史特征,并凭借现代技术手段来揭示其发生、演变的规律,这是一项有开创意义和应用价值的工作。本文提出了历史洪水和洪水灾害自然历史特征的概念,并就其实际应用的领域和途径进行了探讨。     

Effects of floods on the use and condition of pit latrines in rural bangladesh

The severe floods of 1987 in Bangladesh had devastating effects on many development activities. Here, the use and condition of improved sanitation facilities (double pit water sealed latrines) during the 1987 peak flood period are presented. Two surveys on the use and condition of the latrines were carried out in May (pre-flood) and September (post-flood) 1987 in a rural area 60 km north of Dhaka, with a population of about 4500. General usage of the latrines by the population aged five years or more decreased from 88% to 78% ( p < 0.001) after the flood. Only 40% of the 343 latrines which were in use and had no damaged component at the time of the pre-flood survey still had no damaged components after the floods. Fencing was the component which suffered the most damage. It was the only component which was installed and maintained by the users, project staff being responsible for all other components. The estimated post-flood repair cost was approximately US $4.0 per latrine. Development of an affordable and durable fencing is recommended.