Learning from Floods—How a Community Develops Future Resilience

Abstract

Settlements close to rivers, the sea, and hills are among those most vulnerable to floods. The hilly terrain region experiences higher rainfall than the lowlands due to the orographic effect. As a result, excessive rains feeding major rivers cause a rapid rise in water level resulting in frequent breaks of the riverbanks. The flood hence covers the inhabited lowlands with water and silt, causing loss of lives and properties. The affected communities need practical coping alternatives to deal with the intensity and the increasing exposure to floods. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG6) identify the sustainable management of water and sanitation as one of their key objectives. This study identifies resilience in practice focusing on how communities create resilience and develop sustainable river catchment management. A qualitative method was used, involving observations, interviews, and community surveys with one of the most flood-prone populations, the New Zealand Northland community. A desktop study containing government publications and flood records compliments the thematic analysis result and strengthens the discussions. Social connections, participation in self-protection training, and maintaining the catchment were among the main findings of the study. This study recommends for community-led response plans integrated with infrastructure improvements and collaboration with councils to reduce the risk of future floods.

Estimation of Real-Time Rainfall Fields Reflecting the Mountain Effect of Rainfall Explained by the WRF Rainfall Fields

“…Previous studies have highlighted the importance of orographic effects on the spatial distribution of rainfall in mountainous areas [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. The mountain effect, also known as the orographic effect, may cause rainfall intensification, acting as a precursor of convective storm formation [9,10]. It is expected that climate change caused by global warming will intensify the spatio-temporal variability of rainfall and extreme phenomena [11], and this mountain effect can be strengthened.…”

Comprehensive Evaluation of Community Human Settlement Resilience and Spatial Characteristics Based on the Supply-demand Mismatch between Health Activities and Environment: A Case Study of Downtown Shanghai, China

“…In this context, more and more scholars are beginning to recognise the value of building resilient communities in promoting sustainable community development and community governance [10][11][12][13]. In the discipline of urban planning, 'resilience' is applied to the behaviour, capacity and goals of cities in response to disasters and is generally considered to be the ability to stabilise, recover and adapt to risk shocks and is seen as contributing to the sustainability of communities and reducing vulnerability.…”

Experimental Investigation of Levee Erosion during Overflow and Infiltration with Varied Hydraulic Conductivities of Levee and Foundation Properties in Saturated Conditions

“…Natural disasters such as typhoons, heavy rains, and floods have caused severe damage to Japan's infrastructure, including its river embankment systems, resulting in levee failures and widespread flooding [9,10]. The rising risk of river embankment failure due to increased storm rainfall has become a significant concern for safeguarding communities and infrastructure from flooding [11].…”