Recent floods in emerging markets highlight the need for resilience strategies.Drones, data and artificial intelligence can enhance preparedness and response.
More than 1.8bn people – roughly 23% of the world’s population – are exposed to high flood risk. Over 1.2bn of these are located in South and East Asia, including 395m in China and 390m in India. Of the 170m people facing both high flood risk and extreme poverty, 44% reside in sub-Saharan Africa. Creating more sustainable ecosystems further out to sea is another approach to weather the surge of water during heavy storms.Technology is playing a profound role in helping countries predict floods and forewarn residents of danger.
Drones are increasingly being employed to record precise image data that planners can use to prevent and forecast floods and assess damage afterwards.