FLOODING IN ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT

November 3, 2015

Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna,

Virginia, USA 

EACH COUNTRY MUST BE READY FOR THE INEVITABLE

FLOOD EVENT THAT WILL CHALLENGE ITS STATE-OF-

PREPAREDNESS AND RESILIENCE

THAT EVENT HAPPENED IN ALEXANDRIA IN THE FORM OF A SECOND STORM THAT HIT ON NOVEMBER 3, 2015

STORM APPROACHING ALEXANDRIA

STORM APPROACHING ALEXANDRIA

FLOODING IN ALEXANDRIA FROM 5 X NORMAL RAIN

FLOODING IN ALEXANDRIA

FLOODING IN ALEXANDRIA

FLOODING IN ALEXANDRIA

FLOODS

A FLOOD DISASTER is ---

--- the set of failures that occur when the continuums of: 1)  people, 2) community (i.e., a set of habitats, livelihoods, and social constructs), and 3) flood-causing events (e.g., too much water, ...,) intersect at a point in space and time, when and where the people and community are not ready.   

YOUR YOUR COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY

YOUR YOUR COMMUNITYCOMMUNITYDATA BASES DATA BASES

AND INFORMATIONAND INFORMATIONDATA BASES DATA BASES AND INFORMATIONAND INFORMATION

HAZARDS: GROUND SHAKING GROUND FAILURE SURFACE FAULTING TECTONIC DEFORMATION TSUNAMI RUN UP AFTERSHOCKS

•FLOODS •SEVERE WIND STORMS•EARTHQUAKES …ETC

A DISASTERA DISASTER

CAUSES

FAILURES IN POLICIES

FAILURES IN PRACTICES

COUNTERMEASURESCOUNTERMEASURES

• BEST POLICIES•BEST PRACTICES

DISASTER RESILIENCE

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

Anticipatory Preparedness

Adoption and Implementation of a Modern Engineering Building Codes & Standards

Timely Early Warning and Evacuation

Timely Emergency Response (including Emergency Medical Services)

Cost-Effective Recovery/Reconstruction

THE END GAME CHALLENGEBEST POLICIES AND BEST PRACTICES

INNIVATIVE ACTIONS: CREATE, ADJUST, AND REALIGN PROGRAMS, PARTNERS AND PEOPLE UNTIL YOU HAVE CREATED THE PARA-DIGM SHIFTS THAT ARE NEEDED FOR MOVING TOWARDS DISASTER RESILIENCE

BEST POLICIES AND BEST PRACTICES

WILL IDENTIFY/CLOSE KNOWLEDGE DIVIDES AND GAPS,

AND IDENTIFY/FIX WEAK LINKS IN THE

COMMUNITIES AT RISK

BEST POLICIES AND BEST PRACTICES WILL

CALL FOR INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY

AND STRATEGIC PLANNING

BEST POLICIES AND BEST PRACTICES WILL

CALL FOR INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY

AND STRATEGIC PLANNING

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIESEMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

• REAL TIME WEATHER FORCASTING AND WARNING SYSTEMS

• MEASURMENT TECHNOLOGIES (E.G., STREAM GAGUES)

• RISK MODELING (E.G., HAZUS, INSURANCE UNDERWRITING)

• REAL TIME WEATHER FORCASTING AND WARNING SYSTEMS

• MEASURMENT TECHNOLOGIES (E.G., STREAM GAGUES)

• RISK MODELING (E.G., HAZUS, INSURANCE UNDERWRITING)

• DATABASES • MAPS: 100-YEAR AND

500-YEAR FLOODS• FLOOD DISASTER

SCENARIOS• DRONE PLANES• HAZMAT

MANAGEMENT

• DATABASES • MAPS: 100-YEAR AND

500-YEAR FLOODS• FLOOD DISASTER

SCENARIOS• DRONE PLANES• HAZMAT

MANAGEMENT