This case study is on the recent floods in Henan Province, China that occurred from July 16th to 21st, 2021. The floods were due to a series of extreme rainstorms over the city of Zhengzhou and the surrounding region, achieving its average annual rainfall of 25.2 inches in just one day on July 20th. The heavy rainfall affected 14,786,000 people in the Henan province with 398 people dead or missing. In managing the event, the Henan Provincial Flood Control headquarters issued a warning on July 16th and the Meteorological Bureau launched a level III emergency response, which was upgraded to a level I on July 21st. Multi-lateral coordination efforts included the Ministry of Emergency Management dispatching fire and rescue workers to provide emergency relief, troops, and fire brigades were sent to assist in flooding response and prevention efforts, the local governments purchased security insurance for their residents, and hotels were used to house the displaced communities. However, despite early warning alerts, local governments did not take measures to protect their residents and infrastructure, believing that the storm would not cause severe flooding. The lag in suspending school and transportation and escalating the warning to a level I emergency was detrimental to the response efforts. Additionally, the rainfall affected communication capabilities, and the exchange of information was momentarily halted before drone technology was deployed.
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