Indian Cities Prepare for Floods with Predictive Technology

In 1970 Cyclone Bhola hit Bangladesh. It killed up to 500,000 people. Since then, the country has revamped its emergency disaster preparedness through a multipronged process, reducing its cyclone-related deaths by 100 fold. Now, the country collects weather data from more than 50 weather stations. The data is sent to mitigation committees which dispense the info to people through various methods: radio, text messages, and even doorknocking. The country also has a volunteer program with 76,000 volunteers and increased the number of multi-purpose shelters from 44 in 1970 to 512 in 1991.

The World Nuclear Association counts 50 nuclear power plants being built, with 150 more in the planning stages. After the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, nuclear plants on coasts began to be built with contingencies that account for sea-level rise. But new studies suggest that many such plans rely on outdated climate change projections.

The Iowa Flood Center developed a low-cost flood monitoring system, which includes a $7,500 water gauge and predictive mapping tools backed by human experts, that's helped local officials in make better-informed decisions during flood emergencies. In 2024, the center helped rescue coordinators safely navigate boats to 300 stranded residents during a flood.

As a way to soften the impacts of a future storm, an artificial oyster reef was installed in New York City. This green infrastructure can absorb the shock of waves and decrease the amount of flooding, as well as build up the shore over time effectively reversing erosion. Environmentalists argue that this type of barrier is more cost-effective than traditional seawalls and will adapt to sea level changes over time.

Two decades after a massive cyclone killed close to 10,000 people in India's Odisha state, the government's efforts to protect coastal villages vulnerable to cyclones and tsunamis has produced a host of safety measures, from reinforced shelters and early-warning systems to search and evacuation training. Two villages were singled out as the first in the Indian Ocean region to achieve UNESCO's "tsunami ready" certification. A drill in 2019 showed how quickly villagers were trained to respond to an imminent threat.

Designing room for rivers and coastlines can mitigate catastrophe. Following a massive flood in 1953, the Dutch government reallocated its resources toward disaster prevention and mitigation. Through measures like building surge barriers and reservoirs into recreational spaces, the Dutch have moved implemented defensive design methods. Additionally, by lowering some dykes, practices have moved from flood control to controlled flooding. The Dutch Water Ambassador serves a global role advising the UN and other countries about the Dutch engineering and design methods.

Advances in meteorological technology have helped drive down the fatality rate from tornadoes in the U.S. to a fraction of what it was a century ago. Violent tornadoes rarely evade advance detection, thanks to weather satellites, advances in radar, and a communication system to announce warnings. The deadly tornadoes that struck Kentucky and other states in December 2021 illustrate the ways in which even this system – one scientist called it "one of the most incredible success stories in applied science" – can fail, including when people ignore warnings or buildings cannot withstand the high winds.

In the South Indian coast, erosion is leading to disappearing beaches. A study found that this erosion was in part due to man-made structures like a harbor that was built in the late 80s, groynes, and seawalls. These structures were interfering with the natural movement of sand. To fix it, they needed a structure that could block waves but also allow sand movement, the solution? An artificial reef. It was installed and some beaches are already seeing the results.

Early warning systems allow communities to implement effective disaster preparedness. The Uganda National Integrated Early Warning System (U-NIEWS), disseminates forecasts—ranging from weather patterns to market prices for crops—in a bulletin. Data is collected across the country and bulletins go out on a national level, disseminated by local stakeholders through WhatsApp, radio, and other media.

The University of Washington and Northwestern tribes have partnered to use their collective knowledge to create an online tool that helps regional tribes prepare for the effects of climate change. The tools uses climate forecasting that depicts how different resources in the region will be affected at a hyper-local level. The tool itself is a result of Western science, but researchers say the inputted data and information would not have been possible without the nuanced Indigenous knowledge.