Special Funding Initiative:

Proposed Flash Flood Guidance System

with Global Coverage

Flash floods strike quickly over small spatial scales -- yet globally, numerous flash floods are happening at this very moment. On average, 14 people die in flash floods every day, while extreme floods affect 500 million people per year. Unfortunately, climate change is expected to increase average temperatures, intensify precipitation, and cause more flooding throughout the world.

Yet, most countries still lack the capability to recognize, evaluate and predict flash flooding, issue flood warnings, and coordinate disaster response. While developing countries suffer the most due to lack of resources, even developed countries have limited flash flood forecast capability in rural and mountainous areas.

Fortunately, the technology now exists to implement a system that empowers local forecasters to effectively develop localized warnings for deadly flash floods throughout the world. The time has come to link this science to action. Please join us in establishing a global Flash Flood Guidance System (FFGS). The system will assist local forecasters to provide reliable warnings for flash floods and build worldwide capacity for understanding and predicting flash flood occurrence in order to help save lives.

The highly successful regional program developed by HRC for flash floods throughout Central America (CAFFG) can now serve as a model in a flash flood guidance system with global coverage.

The global Flash Flood Guidance System proposed by HRC has garnered respect and praise from national and international meteorological and disaster risk organizations. In May of this year, the XV General Congress of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) officially sanctioned the HRC Flash Flood Guidance System through unanimous approval by representatives of all countries.

HRC seeks funds from private donors for hardware and software infrastructure development, training, and coordination of the global implementation effort. Please contact us or visit our general Giving page for information on how you can donate to this initiative or other non-profit, public benefit efforts at HRC. Additional information, including fact sheet, presentation, and video, can be found below our contact information.

Hydrologic Research Center
Attention: Mr. Robert Jubach
12780 High Bluff Dr, Ste 250
San Diego, CA 92130
(858) 794-2726

FFGS creates useful scientific data and fosters sustainable community development

Along with mitigating the direct impacts of flash floods, the data collected through the Flash Flood Guidance System with global coverage supports efforts to: identify flash flood prone areas; assess the immediate and long-term threat for current and proposed communities; analyze and track basic hydrometeorological data to help protect ecosystems and biodiversity; and alert health professionals to potential malaria and other disease outbreaks associated with high moisture and flooding. Because local authorities collaborate with HRC to create and implement the Flash Flood Guidance System and HRC trains host agencies who will eventually take over its local operations, the system comprises a sustainable community development.

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FFGS Helps Prevent Disasters before they occur

Continual news reports of flash flood deaths highlight the critical need for the Flash Flood Guidance System with global coverage. In June 2007, over 900 people were killed by flash floods in Australia, Bangladesh, China, England, India, Indonesia, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, Switzerland, and the U.S. In that month alone, at least 20 million people were affected by flooding worldwide. Natural disasters (principally floods and droughts) often trigger the downward spiral of impoverishment in developing countries. The immediate devastation caused by flash floods usually marks only the beginning of suffering. For example, destruction of transportation routes can leave victims without access to essential needs such as potable water when local water sources have been contaminated by flooding. Waterborne diseases and diseases such as malaria and dengue can run rampant. This proposed Flash Flood Guidance System with global coverage empowers local forecasters and disaster management agencies to address these issues in a quantitative manner and mitigate flooding and disaster impacts.

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View Presentation given at the XV Congress of the WMO (PDF: 700KB)

View Program Prospectus for implementation developed in collaboration with the WMO (PDF: 270KB)

View FFGS Initiative Fact Sheet (PDF: 500KB)

View FFGS Initiative Flyer (PDF: 9MB)

View 5-minute video describing FFGS concept design (Google Video below)