Worst Flood Research Articles

The Role of Health Sectors in Disaster Preparedness: Floods in Southeastern China, 1991

Disasters, whether natural or man-made, usually are unpredictable. Efforts to reduce morbidity and mortality from a disaster should be put forth before it occurs. A brief survey is presented of the worst flood to occur in a hundred years that affected eight provinces in Southeast China. The disaster preparedness and response for Anhui Province, the hardest hit area, is summarized. The disaster preparedness was comprehensive, and cooperation was achieved among various specialties: military forces; firefighters; civil engineers; mechanics; police; provincial governors; the medical sectors; and so forth. Among these groups, the role of medical sectors was of great importance in reducing disease that would have resulted from such a disaster. The measures undertaken by the medical sectors included development of an organization to reduce the impact of disaster; training of medical personnel in techniques of rescue and in treatment of victims in disaster areas; development of a plan to assist the leadership in decision-making and establishing support for disaster preparedness; and maintaining sufficient capacity in general hospitals for the admission of victims from disaster areas.

The Bar of the Ely Consistory Court in the Fourteenth Century: Advocates, Proctors, and Others

The consistory court of the bishops of Ely by the fourteenth century regularly held its sessions in Cambridge, the largest and most prosperous city of the diocese. Ely itself was small, little more than a hamlet, and physically isolated. Recurrent flooding in the fens often cut off the roads leading into the Isle of Ely, and even at the best of times Ely tended to be rather out of the way. Although Cambridge was flat and lowlying, it rose just far enough above the level of the fenlands to be secure from all but the worst flooding, while the River Cam gave the city ready access to the commercial networks of eastern and southern England.

Study of river flood hydrology in Bangladesh with AVHRR data

Abstract This paper examines the applicability of NOAA satellite AVHRR imagery to monitoring and studying the river floods and associated hydrological conditions in Bangladesh and the adjoining regions. The flood period considered is that of the last 10 days of September 1984, when Bangladesh experienced one of the worst floods in recent years. Imagery from dry winter conditions have also been used for comparison. The analysis involved the calibration of the NOAA-7 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) IB data tapes, linearization of pixel sizes and geometric rectification of the image to ground reference points. The imagery showed that a vast area of Bangladesh was flooded and rivers were highly turbid. Comparisons have been made between the major rivers, particularly the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, during the flood season. It has been found that the Ganges has higher albedo (is more turbid) and is warmer than the Brahmaputra during the flood season. The Brahmaputra shows a gradual increase in...

Droughts/floods in the summer monsoon season over different meteorological subdivisions of India for the period 1871–1984

AbstractAbnormalities in the performance of the Indian summer monsoon (June to September) rainfall, which provides 75–90 per cent of annual rainfall, have been studied during the period 1871 to 1984 over different meteorological subdivisions into which the country has been divided. Long homogeneous monsoon rainfall series of 29 subdivisions, prepared on the basis of a constant 306 rain gauges, have been tabulated for the users in view of their great importance. The criterion adopted in identification of drought/flood over a subdivision is the percentage of rainfall departures from normal, as officially used in the India Meteorological Department.The worst drought years were 1877, 1899, 1911, 1918, 1920, 1951, 1965 and 1972 and the worst flood years were 1892, 1933, 1961 and 1983 when many subdivisions reported extremely low and excess rainfall, respectively. The probabilities of occurrence of droughts/floods are high in Haryana, Punjab, west Rajasthan, Gujarat and Saurashtra and Kutch subdivisions. The area of the country affected by drought conditions was at a maximum during the decade 1911–1920 and at a minimum during the decade 1881–1890. The decades 1971–1980 and 1921–1930 were characterized by maximum and minimum areas, respectively, under flood conditions. The percentage area of India which suffered from drought and flood was low during the continuous three decades 1921–1930, 1931–1940 and 1941–1950.

Bangladesh in 1984: A Year of Protracted Turmoil

By the standards of trial and tribulation set elsewhere in South Asia and the world at large during 1984, events in Bangladesh could perhaps claim only passing attention. The seemingly endless minisaga of efforts to return the country to electoral rule, in many ways a replay of its history over the past decade, paled beside the drama of India's Punjab and the Gandhi assassination. And compared to the heartrending images of famine in Ethiopia flashed electronically around the globe, who knew or even cared that Bangladesh was experiencing its worst floods in ten years? In these respects it seemed to be much the same old story in Bangladesh, by now long bereft of its capacity to draw the eyes of the world. At the onset of 1984 the martial law regime of Lt. General Hussain Muhammed Ershad, who had proclaimed himself president of Bangladesh in December, was within three months of completing its year. His government could claim reasonable progress toward meeting many of the objectives it had set for itself soon after its inception. Not the least of these were concrete steps taken toward administrative and judicial decentralization, in which the time-honored second tier of local government, the thana, was upgraded to the status of upazilla, or subdistrict, endowed with enhanced administrative functions and becoming the primary locus of the civil and judicial court system. Between November 1983 and February 1984, 460 thanas were designated as upazillas and the court system at that level had begun to operate. Consistent with the projected reorganization plan, sixty-four new administrative districts had been created out of the old subdivisional unit of administration. A key goal of the Ershad regime had been the disinvestment of government-owned industries, and by March 1984 it was asserted that thirty-three jute mills, twenty-five textile mills, and

Thailand in 1983: Democracy, Thai Style

Research Article| February 01 1984 Thailand in 1983: Democracy, Thai Style Suchitra Punyaratabandhu-Bhakdi Suchitra Punyaratabandhu-Bhakdi Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Far Eastern Survey (1955) 24 (2): 187–194. https://doi.org/10.2307/2644437 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Suchitra Punyaratabandhu-Bhakdi; Thailand in 1983: Democracy, Thai Style. Far Eastern Survey 1 February 1955; 24 (2): 187–194. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/2644437 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAsian Survey Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1984 The Regents of the University of California Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Effects of Floods on Trout in Sagehen Creek, California

Abstract Effects of winter and spring floods on rainbow (Salmo gairdneri) and brook (Salvelinus fontinalis) trout were evaluated over a 10-year period in Sagehen Creek, California. Winter floods decimated developing eggs of fall-spawning brook trout. Because of reduced competition by young brook trout, survival of spring-spawned rainbow fry increased in years following winter floods. Conversely, spring floods destroyed rainbow eggs, thereby enhancing survival of young brook trout. Floods changed the species composition markedly and these changes endured for several years. Adult trout were adversely affected by the worst flood studied, but were unaffected by other floods of lesser magnitude. Effects of floods were not nearly as pronounced or predictable on adult trout as they were on young trout.

North Vietnam in 1971

]he year 1971 for North Vietnam can be outlined in these broad brush strokes: -In its war to unify North and South Vietnam under its banner, a year without significant defeat but also one with no visible progress. -internally, a year of determined effort by its Politburo to return the country to normalcy by overhauling the economy and the other key sectors, an effort severely undercut by the traumatic blow from an unkind nature, the worst floods in North Vietnam's modern history. -In external relations, particularly because of suspicious moves by China, a year of transition and change, the nature and magnitude of which remained unclear at year's end. This brief review of North Vietnam in 1971, because of space limitations, must confine itself to these three aspects-war strategy, internal problems and foreign relations-largely ignoring other somewhat less important developments.'

Laos: The Troubled "Neutral"

The year 1966 was an eventful one for Laos. The Mekong River overflowed its banks, causing the worst flood in a quarter-century at Vientiane, the administrative capital. Simultaneously with the disruption of the economy due to the flood, the National Assembly precipitated a political crisis by rebelling against what it considered the government's onerous fiscal policy, a restrictive distribution of ministerial portfolios and a subservient posture towards certain foreign countries. In a showdown between the Prime Minister, Prince Souvanna Phouma, and the headstrong deputies, the former obtained the Assembly's dissolution and the scheduling of new general elections. To add to this sequence of events, another showdown, this one between generals of the Royal Army, cost a number of lives in Vientiane and the kingdom its most outstanding aviator. Four years after the signing of the Geneva Agreement, in which twelve foreign states formally neutralized Laos by pledging their intention to desist from intervention in its affairs, Laos had settled down to an uneasy truce. The division of territory and government continued between a combination of rightists and neutralists at Vientiane and a rival grouping at Khang Khay in the Plain of Jars led by the Neo Lao Hak Sat in a state of undeclared revolt against Vientiane. Economically, the progressive inflation of 1962-63 had at last been brought under control by the Royal Government with the concerted assistance of a foreign consortium in support of the currency of Laos, the kip. Work in the fields of agriculture, public health and education was proceeding at a modest but steady pace. In Vientiane itself, progress was visible in the form of an attempt to lay sidewalks for the first time along main streets and the initiation of public transport in the form of a bus that carried passengers from the Chinaimo army camp on the eastern outskirts to the XVattay airport for a fee of 20 kip (4 cents), with Buddhist monks privileged to ride free. Reconstruction of the old French-built roads between Vientiane and the royal capital of Luang Prabang and from Vientiane southward along the left bank of the Mekong to the Cambodian border was accorded top priority in the aid program formulated by the United States after Geneva. These roads had suffered badly from heavy use in military operations and from neglect due to insecurity in the government-controlled zone. The improvement of the security situation has permitted for the first time major repairs to bridges and culverts, making it possible once again for buses to

RED RIVER OF THE NORTH BASIN FLOOD, APRIL–JUNE 1950

One of the worst floods of record in the valley of the Red River of the North occurred during the spring of 1950. In this report on the flood, the general topographical and climatological characteristics of the basin are described, the meteorological conditions contributing to the flood are discussed, and data on the flood stages and duration are presented. Comparative data for other floods in the valley also are presented and the worst of these, the flood of 1897, is discussed.

The Fifth Annual Summary of the Population of the More Important Insects in Kansas, Covering the Year 1935

January opened with milder weather than usual, and was about normal in precipitation and sunshine. Mild temperatures prevailed during February until the cold wave on the 24th, which brought high winds and dust storms. Drought conditions became severe, especially in the western half of the state favoring dust storms. March was unusually mild, dry and dusty. The worst dust storm ever reported for the state occurred on the 20th. The air was so full of dust over the entire state that the use of headlights was necessary in auto travel, and street lights were turned on. The dust was said to extend to 16,000 feet in height, and visibility at the worst was less than one city block in the eastern half of the state and practically zero in the western third. Vegetation made little growth in the western half of the state because of the acute shortage of moisture. April was unusually cool and dry, both conditions being near a record. The month was deficient in sunshine and the drought in all counties except the extreme eastern and southeastern became acute. Severe dust storms were frequent, especially in the western half of the state. May opened with crops in serious need of moisture, but heavy rains occurred on the 9th to the 11th and continued throughout May to near the end of June. May was the third wettest on record, and also one of the chilliest. June was unusually cool and wet. Serious floods occurred throughout the state, but especially in the valleys of the Republican, Neosho, Marais des Cygnes, Saline, Blue, and Kansas rivers. Manhattan experienced the second worst flood of its history on June 7, due to heavy rains in southern Nebraska, western Colorado, and northwestern Kansas. July was the driest and third hottest during the 49 years for which records have been kept in the state. The month was exceptionally sunshiny, proving detrimental to crops. The lack of rainfall was offset somewhat by the large amount of moisture in the soil.

Floods on the Continent

WHILE the peak level of the floods in the Thames Valley, reported in last week's issue of NATURE, has apparently been reached and passed, and the river, despite some additional rainfall during the weekend, is subsiding, less satisfactory reports are received from the Continent. Persistent rains all over France are stated to be causing the river discharges to assume alarming proportions, the conditions being unparalleled for a period of a quarter of a century. The Rhône, the Seine and the Loire give particular cause for anxiety. Along the banks of the last-named river, hundreds of dwellings have had to be abandoned under threatening conditions, and in Nantes itself the main railway line has been cut, while whole districts of the town are under water, which has penetrated the main squares of the city, causing business activity to be paralysed. In the Departement of Vienne, “the worst flood for seventy years” has occurred at Poitiers, where many houses have been evacuated. The Rhône Valley is again invaded: both at Lyons, at the confluence with the Saone, and at Avignon, there are extensive flooded areas. From Toulouse, a “catastrophic” situation is reported. At Paris, the Seine has been rising at the rate of eighteen inches in twenty-four hours, and has exceeded danger level. Considerable lengths of quay front are submerged and cargo handling operations are seriously impeded, where not definitely suspended. Water has entered the buildings of the Quai d'Orsay, and the Place de la Concorde is inundated for the first time since 1910. The effects of excessive precipitation are being felt with equal severity in Spain, in the northern provinces of which widespread damage has been caused and the town of Padron isolated; as also in Switzerland, where there have been a number of minor landslips, particularly in the Alps. The railway line to Chamonix has been completely blocked for some days by a mass of rock and stone. The authorities fear intensification of the trouble.