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Breach the Bottleneck and Avoid Disaster: Enhance Early Warning Systems for Flood Hazards

By Shafiqul Islam On March 22, 2013 · 3 Comments · In Opinions

“Hitherto the long range forecaster has been denied a seat in the banquet hall of science; …the general scientist has denounced him; the professional weather man has treated him with supercilious scorn” (Richards 1911). This statement was made over 100 years ago - long before the development of computers and numerical forecast models - when weather forecasters were limited to reading maps. Fast forward to now: the age of supercomputers, smart phones and social media. Despite significant advances in our understanding of the atmospheric dynamics, hydrologic processes, and the ability to solve complex equations and communicate with millions of people at lightning fast speed, the same debate rages within the scientific and practicing community as water professionals attempt to push the frontiers of early warning systems for water related hazards. We continue to experience an ever-increasing number of natural hazards that become disasters. For example...