thrivikramji@gmail.

com
"The only thing that stops God from sending
another flood is that the first one was useless".
- Nicholas Chamfort (1741 - 1794)
Ju/09
 Preparedness
Prevention Relief
Disaster (Warning)
Geodynamic
Mapping geological Locate stricken
Earthquakes measurements of strain
lineaments &LU areas, map damage
accumulation
Map lava
Volcanic Detection/measurement
Topographic & LU maps flows, ashfalls &
eruptions of gaseous emissions
lahars,& damage

Landslides Topographic & LU maps Rainfall,slope stability Mapping slide area

Local rainfall
Flash floods LU maps Map flood damage
measurements

Flood plain maps; LU Regional rainfall;

Major floods Map extent of floods
maps evapotranspiration

Sea state;ocean surface Map extent of

Storm surge LU and land cover maps
wind velocities damage
Synoptic weather Map extent of
Hurricanes
forecasts damage
Nowcasts; local
Map extent of
Tornadoes weather Local weather
damage
observations 2
Drought Long range climate Biomass monitoring
GUIDELINE FOR PREPAREDNESS
a)Database: on various resources, skills, and services for
relief at short notice. on safety equipments, oxygen
cylinders and various other equipments, skills and other
information to deal with emergency.
b)Logistics: the organization of supply chain for relief.
Several colleagues at IIMA also developed logistics system
for Collectorate at Bhuj. GIS system of supplies tracked
right up to the village. other elements of logistics need to be
put in place.
c) Technological Needs: technical questions regarding
buildings, cutting concrete slabs, rescue and relief emerged
which needed to be solved on the spot. The best practices
have to be put in use.

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GUIDELINE FOR PREPAREDNESS
d) Self Reliance: self-reliant, work and self-help. where
communities to help each other. lessons of community
self-help. A database of volunteers mobilizable at short
notice
e) Communication Infrastructure: network of ham radios,
use of AIR, Doordarshan , help lines, etc. create
information dissemination system and develop mechanism
for capacity building.
f) Emergency Preparedness: Drills to keep society
prepared for dealing with emergencies. learn from the
experience of others & similar drills.
g) Forecasting: Anticipate disasters over time or space..
For instance, buildings erected on land fill areas which
were wet lands or low lying areas are more liable to
damage, as was borne out by the recent evidence.
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A CYCLONE IS AN AREA OF CLOSED,
CIRCULAR FLUID MOTION ROTATING IN
THE SAME DIRECTION AS THE EARTH.

USUALLY CHARACTERIZED BY INWARD

SPIRALLING WINDS THAT
ROTATECOUNTER CLOCKWISE IN
THENORTHERN HEMISPHERE
AND CLOCKWISE IN THE SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE OF EARTH.

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EYE OF A CYCLONE

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 Hurricane stages
A low pressure trough moving generally
Tropical Wave
westward with the trade winds.
An organized area of thunderstorms that
usually forms in the tropics. Typically, they
Tropical Disturbance maintain their identity for 24 hours and
are accompanied by heavy rains and gusty
winds.
A generic term for any organized low
pressure that develops over tropical and
sometimes sub-tropical waters. Tropical
Tropical Cyclone
depressions, tropical storms, and
hurricanes are all example of tropical
cyclones.
An organized area of low pressure in which
Tropical Depression
sustained winds are 38 mph or less.
A tropical cyclone with maximum sustained
Tropical Storm
wind speeds t hat r ange f r om 39 t o 73 mph.
A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of
Hurricane 7
at least 74 mph.
 Saffir- Simpson Hurricane Scale

Pressure Pressure(Inche Storm Surge

Category Winds (MPH) Damage
(Millibars) s) (Feet)

1 74-95 <980 <28.94 4'-5' Minimal

2 96-110 979-965 28.91-28.50 6'-8' Moderate

3 111-130 964-945 28.47-27.91 9 '-12' Extensive

4 131-155 944-920 27.88-27.17 13'-18' Extreme

5 >155 <920 <27.17 >18' Catastrophic

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Flooded Mumbai St.
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Stalled Suburban Train 14
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Caused by Katrina
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Bulldozer clearing rubble of Katrina
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Aerial view of devastation, Katrina
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Classification of Tropical cyclones
Tropical Depression

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Classification of Tropical cyclones
Tropical Storm

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Classification of Tropical cyclones

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River Basins, India
Kerala- Highlights
Area: 38,836 km2; Population: 31.8 million
(Census, 2001)Size of side of support square:
34 m; Population density: 798/km
Highland, elevation >75.0m; area: 18,696 km2;
48.14% of whole
Midland, elevation 7.5-75.0m; area: 16218
km2; 41.76% of whole
Coastal land, elevation <7.5 m; area: 3922
km2; 10.10% of whole
High coastal land: 930 km2; 23.71%
Low coastal land: 2992 km2; 76.29% of CL, 30
Assam- worst in 50yr,
On July 16 2003 17:00 hr (IST)
About 3.7 million people displaced
for >two weeks
Affected 20 of the state's 24
districts.
Brahmaputra breached its banks at
several places overnight

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KERALA: 10-07- 2003
14 districts affected by heavy rains/
floods.
402 families affected. 2 persons missing
and 36 persons reported injured.
182 houses fully and 1258 houses partly
damaged. The State evacuated 222
families and opened 13 relief camps.
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Low lying areas- coastal land (<7.5 m) &
lower parts of midland (7.6-75 m) prone
to flooding.
Kochi flooding due built up plain land &
paved streets- lower tree/turf cover to
soak up rain water wave & tide also
slows down seaward flow solution to
flooding is tough and expensive.
Storm water drains are not built wide
enough to hold and convey water
seaward.
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 ilt and garbage trapped drains
block free flow of water encroach-
ment of flood plains and flood ways
& filling of lower order streams
constrict the water flow river
training practiced by minor
irrigation dept. also constricts the
free ways of water.
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Urban aggregation of buildings
paved streets, elimination /
contraction of natural drainage
sediment accumulation in the
channels and drains contraction of
turf and tree covered patches
paved yards around houses, shops
and building complexes
combinedly modified the
hydrograph of urban areas. 35
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Flood and health issues

Bury or move hazardous chemical

containers of solvents or other
industrial chemicals. Dead animals
spread foul smell. Displaced
population need food shelter and
money.
Reenter flood affected homes with
extreme caution.
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Flood and health issues

Disinfect all surfaces.

Check for back-flow of sewage into
home.
Stay out of buildings with flood-
waters.
Use safe water supplied by state
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Destruction by floods

Herakleion and Eastern Canopus,

disappeared in Mediterranean more than
1,200 yr as land suddenly
liquefied due to large scale flooding.

Annually, several states like W.Bengal,

Orissa, Andhra, Maharashtra, Kerala,
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu areravaged
differentially by floods.
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Bangladesh flood- on 10-07-2003

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Flood and Economy
Agricultural Flood Water Damage
Urban Flood Water Damage
Commercial and Industrial
Flood Damage to Residential Properties
Flood Damage to Transportation and
Utility networks
Damages to Farmland, Crop and Pasture
Damage to Flat Land

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Central Water Commission (1958),
MOWR operates a network of
forecasting stations to alert
communities and agencies
First station in Yamuna rail Bridge,
New Delhi
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Floods disrupt normal drainage systems
in cities, towns & villages- sewage line
overload & spills are common posing a
serious health hazard, along with
standing water and wet materials in the
home.
Bacteria, mould and viruses, cause
disease, trigger allergic reactions, and
continue to damage materials long after a
flood.

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 disrupt normal life
"Floodwater can seriously disrupt
public & personal transport by
cutting off roads & railway lines, as
well as communication links where
telephone cables & lines are
damaged
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Floods can distribute large amounts
of water & suspended sediment over
vast areas, restocking valuable soil
nutrients to agricultural lands.
Also, soil erosion by large volumes
of fast flowing water ruining crops
& agricultural land / buildings &
drowning farm animals.
Sedimentation in farmland destroys
crops & soils 49
 Flash flood is a rapid flooding of
low-lying areas by waters of rivers
& streams- caused by heavy rain fall
due to a thunderstorm, hurricane, or
tropical storm. Flash floods also
occurs after collapse of an ice dam
or a man made dam. Flash floods
diiffers from a regular flood by a
duration of under six hours.
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 Flash flood is a rapid flooding as
ground becomes saturated with
water that has fallen too quickly to
be absorbed and heading
downstream to flood the low lying
tracts - extremely dangerous due to
their sudden nature
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