Managing Extreme Rainfall and Flooding Events: A Case Study of the 20 July 2021 Zhengzhou Flood in China
Author:
Zhao Xiaofan1ORCID, Li Huimin2ORCID, Cai Qin3, Pan Ye1, Qi Ye45ORCID
Affiliation:
1. Division of Public Policy, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China 2. Beijing Climate Change Response Research and Education Center, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China 3. Art & Science Research Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China 4. Thrust of Carbon Neutrality and Climate Change and Jiangmen Laboratory of Carbon Science and Technology, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China 5. School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Abstract
On 20 July 2021, an extreme rainstorm battered Zhengzhou in China’s Henan Province, killing 302 people, including 14 individuals who drowned in a subway tunnel and 6 who drowned in a road tunnel. As the global climate warms, extreme weather events similar to the Zhengzhou flood will become more frequent, with increasingly catastrophic consequences for society. Taking a case study-based approach by focusing on the record-breaking Zhengzhou flood, this paper examines the governance capacity of inland cities in North China for managing extreme precipitation and flooding events from the perspective of the flood risk management process. Based on in-depth case analysis, our paper hypothesizes that inland cities in North China still have low risk perceptions of extreme weather events, which was manifested in insufficient pre-disaster preparation and prevention, poor risk communication, and slow emergency response. Accordingly, it is recommended that inland cities update their risk perceptions of extreme rainfall and flooding events, which are no longer low-probability, high-impact “black swans”, but turning into high-probability, high-impact “gray rhinos.” In particular, cities must make sufficient preparation for extreme weather events by revising contingency plans and strengthening their implementation, improving risk communication of meteorological warnings, and synchronizing emergency response with meteorological warnings.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Subject
Atmospheric Science
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