Whether flooding is getting worse or not, the ability to predict floods is getting better. Ben Pratt of the National Hydrologic Warning Council tells me flood warning has been valued through much of the U.S.; investments have been made. In some cases, but not all, sophisticated networks of flood gauges are covering areas of concern to provide advanced information to be used to make decisions to ultimately save lives and property.
But, says Pratt, collecting the information is only half of the battle, “Then, we have to get people to take appropriate action.” That’s not so easy, he says. Community engagement for hydrologic events is one of the topics for the upcoming Hydrologic Warning Council’s workshop in Albany, N.Y. They’ll talk about turning forecasts into action, use of social media to improve resilience, flood-inundation mapping science, and public perception of flood warnings. (Find information on the Sept. 20 conference here.)
As the ability to predict floods changes, so does the ability to inform the public. In addition to increases in channels used for alerting, there are interesting concepts either available or emerging that will enhance the quality information being provided via alerts. This will be very important for floods. As Pratt says, it’s a very spatial topic. People want to visually see maps that show threats related to their areas of interest.
No doubt, emergency management and other public safety practitioners make good use of the type of information Pratt and his Hydrologic Warning Council colleagues develop. Perhaps, though, there’s potential for a much more active and better intersection between flood warning and flood alerting. Both fields are evolving, and should be evolving together.
