Drawing on five analyses of regional flooding events, the use case provides insight on the use of flood extent tools before, during, and after a crisis. Its purpose is to support flood managers and responders in understanding the use of tools and datasets in various circumstances, with attention to Earth observation-related (EO) tools, particularly. See the synthesis below. Find a consolidated document with synthesis and the five analyses here.
Members of EOTEC DevNet’s four regional flood working groups analyzed these five events:
- Central America: Hurricane-related (Eta and Iota) flooding, 2020
- Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, India: Rockfall-triggered flood, 2021
- Ebro River Basin, Spain: Heavy rainfall and snowmelt-triggered flooding, 2021
- Malawi: Cyclone-related flooding (Ana and Gombe), 2022
- Maluku Province (Ambon Island), Indonesia: Heavy rainfall-triggered flooding, 2022
- Mondego River Basin, Portugal: Cyclones-related rainfall and runoff effects flooding, 2019
Among the cross-cutting insights in these analyses is that EO tools contribute with data and analysis at every stage of flood management. When the agencies collaborate well and information is properly integrated with meteorological and hydrological models, the results are useful for an “earlier” early warning and more effective management, response, and recovery – all of which save lives and mitigate socioeconomic impacts.