Solutions Briefs
Vietnam
The Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance’s ‘Solutions’ series shares practical and replicable local knowledge through our work across the world on how to build resilience to climate hazards.
Digital flood evacuation planning in Vietnam
Summary
ISET-International (ISET) worked with the local government and provincial agencies to develop detailed evacuation maps and plans for response scenarios corresponding to the three existing early warning system (EWS) flood alert levels , identifying:
- when the evacuation process will be triggered;
- who will need to be evacuated and to where;
- contact lists;
- plans for supporting vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly, pregnant/nursing women, children, people with critical illnesses/disabilities, and the poor.
The information was integrated into a disaster risk management (DRM) software system, built and administered by the provincial government.
Technological improvements to flood early warning systems in Vietnam
Summary
The early warning system in Huế City, Vietnam, was strengthened with the installation of two automatic river water level gauges with radar sensors for improved accuracy, two inland smart flood warning towers that register flood depth and send data to the hydrometeorological monitoring system, and two high-power warning sirens with back-up power systems to use as a last resort for flood and storm warning communication. Together, these devices help to improve data availability, connectivity, and usefulness, and facilitate timely flood warning delivery to the hardest-to-reach communities.
Flood data mapping and analysis for early warning and urban planning in Vietnam
Summary
ISET-International (ISET) and the provincial DRM agency conducted a flood trace study to identify high-water marks, which indicate maximum flood depths, for the October 2022 flood in Huế City, Vietnam. The high-water marks and their locations were integrated into the GIS database of Huế City and were compared with historical flood depths, rainfall, and river levels during this and previous events to identify both climatic and non-climatic drivers of observed changes in flood patterns. This information is also being used to support urban development planning and flood early warnings.
Funded by: The Z Zurich Foundation
The Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance is a multi-sectoral partnership focused on enhancing resilience to climate hazards in both rural and urban communities.