As the world focuses on the current COVID-19 pandemic, disasters brought about by climate change and extreme weather events such as flooding continue to challenge the resilience of cities. In the midst of a pandemic situation, it is imperative that local governments strengthen their early warning systems in order to protect their communities and avoid overwhelming their disaster management capabilities. Fortunately, recent advances in remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and information technologies, in combination with crowdsourced information from social media are leading to significant changes in the mechanisms of flood early warning systems (FEWS).

Part 2 of the ASEAN Smart Cities: Digital Solutions Webinar Series explored how digitalization and new technologies are being used to mitigate flood impacts and create flood resilience in vulnerable communities within cities. Panelists shared their experience and specific use cases on technologies and practices that not only help strengthen the community’s flood resilience but also meet the needs of vulnerable social and gender groups.

(Part 2 of the ASEAN Australia Smart Cities Trust Fund Webinar Series)