Social and Hydrological Responses to Extreme Precipitations: An Interdisciplinary Strategy for Postflood Investigation

International audienceThis paper describes and illustrates a methodology to conduct postflood investigations based on interdisciplinary collaboration between social and physical scientists. The method, designed to explore the link between crisis behavioral response and hydrometeorological dynamics, aims at understanding the spatial and temporal capacities and constraints on human behaviors in fast-evolving hydrometeorological conditions. It builds on methods coming from both geosciences and transportations studies to complement existing post-flood field investigation methodology used by hydrometeorologists. The authors propose an interview framework, structured around a chronological guideline to allow people who experienced the flood firsthand to tell the stories of the circumstances in which their activities were affected during the flash flood. This paper applies the data collection method to the case of the 15 June 2010 flash flood event that killed 26 people in the Draguignan area (Var, France). As a first step, based on the collected narratives, an abductive approach allowed the identification of the possible factors influencing individual responses to flash floods. As a second step, behavioral responses were classified into categories of activities based on the respondents' narratives. Then, aspatial and temporal analysis of the sequences made of the categories of action to contextualize the set of coping responses with respect to local hydrometeorological conditions is proposed. During this event, the respondents mostly follow the pace of change in their local environmental conditions as the flash flood occurs, official flood anticipation being rather limited and based on a large-scale weather watch. Therefore, contextual factors appear as strongly influencing the individual's ability to cope with the event in such a situation

Motorists' Vulnerability to Flash Floods in France

Présentation Power point :http://www.sip.ucar.edu/ESRL/PDF/Ruin_NCAR_ESR_Seminar_61608.pdfInternational audienceFlash floods are characterized by their suddenness, fast and violent movement, rarity, small scale but high level of damage. They are particularly difficult to forecast accurately and leave very little lead-time for warnings. Flash floods can surprise people who are in the midst of their daily activities, with particularly serious impacts when people travel across roads vulnerable to flooding. Overall, and particularly in Texas, most of the people killed by flash floods are in cars.What make motorists especially vulnerable? Experts call for a comprehensive integration of social and natural sciences and engineering to better understand public responses. In this context, my research specifically addresses people's travel patterns during flash floods and uses a spatio-temporal analysis to better understand the link between human behaviors and a sudden change in the environment. In that purpose I made two hypotheses to explain inappropriate behaviors:1) people's unwillingness to change their daily routines,2) discrepancy between individual space-time representations and actual flash flood characteristics

Beyond Storm-Based Warnings, Communication of Probabilistic Hazard Information

URL : http://ewp.nssl.noaa.gov/wasis2008/The objectives are : - Introduce new technologies and directions to a diverse spectrum of potential future collaborators. - Define and address the broad spectrum of end-user needs from the super-user to diverse segments of the general public. Based on participants expertise and interests we will particularly focus on emergency managers, hospitals and individuals with higher vulnerability as well as private industry. - Clarify and suggest new ways to communicate uncertainty and storm information. Focus on graphic representations of storm timelines and uncertainty and communication through new and emerging technologies. - Define new measures of success to properly assess service and change concepts of storm verification including close calls and false alarms. - Provide suggestions for the evolution of the Experimental Warning Program, design for spring experiments with stakeholders goals. - Develop ideas for new ways to change the culture within all levels of the National Weather Service to facilitate operational implementation of these concepts. - Create visibility and consider possible future funding opportunities for Hazardous Weather Testbed activities and stakeholder interactions that help with the move from WAS to IS for the National Weather Service

Vulnérabilité des territoires aux crues rapides: Analyse des mobilités de population du Gard pour une amélioration des comportements en temps de crise

Rapport d'étape année 2, Fondation MAI

19. Les crues rapides : problème d’échelles et de société

Les crues rapides ou éclair continuent de surprendre par la vitesse de montée des eaux souvent décrite par les témoins en termes de « vague » et de « mur d’eau ». Cette célérité exceptionnelle, souvent inconcevable pour qui n’en a pas vécu, constitue un véritable défi en termes de prévention et de mise en sécurité des populations. De plus, si les experts du changement climatique s’accordent à dire que l’intensité et la fréquence des événements pluvieux extrêmes pourraient s’intensifier, la vu..

Vulnérabilité des territoires face aux crues rapides: Le cas des populations touristiques dans le Gard

Présentation Power point :http://ltheln21.hmg.inpg.fr/OHM-CV/Documents/journeesdetude/JE2005/14_OHM-CV%20Ruin.ppt.pdfNational audienc

Beyond Storm-Based Warnings, Communication of Probabilistic Hazard Information

URL : http://ewp.nssl.noaa.gov/wasis2008/The objectives are : - Introduce new technologies and directions to a diverse spectrum of potential future collaborators. - Define and address the broad spectrum of end-user needs from the super-user to diverse segments of the general public. Based on participants expertise and interests we will particularly focus on emergency managers, hospitals and individuals with higher vulnerability as well as private industry. - Clarify and suggest new ways to communicate uncertainty and storm information. Focus on graphic representations of storm timelines and uncertainty and communication through new and emerging technologies. - Define new measures of success to properly assess service and change concepts of storm verification including close calls and false alarms. - Provide suggestions for the evolution of the Experimental Warning Program, design for spring experiments with stakeholders goals. - Develop ideas for new ways to change the culture within all levels of the National Weather Service to facilitate operational implementation of these concepts. - Create visibility and consider possible future funding opportunities for Hazardous Weather Testbed activities and stakeholder interactions that help with the move from WAS to IS for the National Weather Service

Flash floods warnings... Not an easy job!

Présentation power point : http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/sgf/FFRAP/Symposium/DrRuin.pdfInternational audienc