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Twist 2, make it global: floods

Floods are the same problem everywhere.

Warnings wake everyone, or they come late.

Rain gauges and dam releases give hours of notice. Still, in Pune, Valencia and Lismore the warnings came late. VoiceFlare's ladder for floods is the same in every country: watch, ask, slow, hold, hand to a person. The official words, the decider and the number change with the place.

See the flood ladderPick a country

The anchor

Pimpri-Chinchwad, July 2026

of rain in 24 hours at Chinchwad, to 8:30 am on 7 July
268 mm
residents stuck in their homes in Tanajinagar, Keshavnagar and Laxminagar
1,500+
people moved out of flooded areas by noon on 6 July
1,880

Sources: punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab), dainikprabhat.com (opens in a new tab), punekarnews.in (2) (opens in a new tab)

How the month went

  1. 6 Jul IMD red alert for Pune district. The commissioner directs warnings by public announcement in vulnerable areas.
  2. 7 Jul Chinchwad's second day above 200 mm. The Thergaon bridge is under water.
  3. 24 Jul Pavana dam about 97% full; the release goes from 5,600 to 7,000 cusecs, announced in advance.
  4. 31 Jul Khadakwasla's release is raised to 22,880 cusecs.

Sources: freepressjournal.in (opens in a new tab), thebridgechronicle.com (opens in a new tab), dainikprabhat.com (opens in a new tab), punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab), thebridgechronicle.com (2) (opens in a new tab)

The order to warn riverside areas by public announcement came on 6 July, during the flood. Rain and dam releases are measured and announced hours ahead.

Sources: freepressjournal.in (opens in a new tab), punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab)

The flood ladder

The gentlest alert that still works. Five steps, in order; each asks a little more of people, and a named person decides every step that moves them.

  1. 1Watch

    Read the river gauges, the rainfall, the dam releases and the official warnings.

    In Pune

    IMD's red alert, 268 mm in 24 hours at Chinchwad, and the Pavana dam's release notices.

    Sources: freepressjournal.in (opens in a new tab), punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab), punekarnews.in (2) (opens in a new tab)

  2. 2Ask

    Before waking a zone, ask people at the riverbank or the low street: “Is the water at the bridge?”

    In Pune

    Ward-office staff and the dam flood control cell: “Is the water at the Thergaon bridge?”

    Sources: dainikprabhat.com (opens in a new tab), punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab)

  3. 3Slow

    Low-lying blocks first, in timed waves, on routes that avoid flooded roads and underpasses.

    In Pune

    First the pockets that flooded, such as Ambedkar Colony and River Road; routes avoid the Thergaon bridge and Telco Road.

    Sources: punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab), dainikprabhat.com (opens in a new tab)

  4. 4Hold

    90 seconds · delay, never stop

    A named human approves the order. VoiceFlare holds its own alert up to 90 seconds and sends on time if nobody decides: it can delay an alert, never stop one.

    In Pune

    The commissioner's control room, or the Collector, approves the words.

    Sources: prsindia.org (opens in a new tab), freepressjournal.in (opens in a new tab)

  5. 5Hand to a person

    Boats and rescue teams go to a person's live GPS, shared with consent. Each wave has a named shelter.

    In Pune

    Rescue teams get the exact spot; each wave goes to a ward relief shelter.

    Source: punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab)

VoiceFlare never delays, blocks or rewrites an official warning, whether it comes from IMD, SACHET, J-ALERT, WEA, 112 or Emergency Alert. It holds only its own calls, and only for a named person to decide.

Six countries, one ladder

Pick a country. Its official warning levels, order words, decider, channel, number and helpers change; the ladder does not. Each country has one recent flood and what it taught.

India

The flood example is Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune. VoiceFlare's India profile on /global is Odisha (cyclones).

The call says

112

PCMC control room 020-67331111 or 020-28331111; PCMC fire helpline 7030908991 (published 24 July 2026)

112 takes in police (100), fire (101) and health (108).

Sources: onmanorama.com (opens in a new tab), punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab)

Official flood warnings

District weather warnings

India Meteorological Department (IMD)

Lowest to highest

  1. Green
  2. Yellow
  3. Orange
  4. Red

IMD issued a red alert for Pune district on 6 July 2026.

Sources: deccanherald.com (opens in a new tab), freepressjournal.in (opens in a new tab)

River flood forecasts

Central Water Commission (CWC), at each river gauge

Lowest to highest

  1. Above Normal Flood Situationat or above the Warning Level
  2. Severe Flood Situationat or above the Danger Level
  3. Extreme Flood Situationthe Highest Flood Level equalled or exceeded

Source: cwc.gov.in (opens in a new tab)

Dam release notices

Maharashtra irrigation department and dam flood control cells

Discharge is announced in cusecs before each step up. On 24 July 2026 the Pavana release went from 5,600 to 7,000 cusecs at 8 pm, with up to 9,000 possible in phases.

Source: punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab)

Flood lines along Pune's rivers

Water Resources Department

Lowest to highest

  1. Blue linethe 25-year flood
  2. Red linethe 100-year flood

Source: sandrp.in (opens in a new tab)

Order words

Stay alert
  • Remain alertPCMC to riverbank residents, 24 July 2026

Source: punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab)

Get ready
  • Avoid entering riverbeds
  • Move pumps, materials and livestockthe Pavana dam flood control cell, to farmers
  • Cooperate with authorities if evacuation becomes necessarythe Mayor

Source: punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab)

Leave
  • Evacuated to safer locationsPCMC, 6 July 2026

Sources: punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab), freepressjournal.in (opens in a new tab)

Go up or stay in
  • Relief sheltersin PCMC's A, B, D and H wards, 6 July 2026

Source: punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab)

No single national set of flood evacuation words was found. These are the words PCMC, its Mayor and Commissioner, and the Pavana dam flood control cell used in July 2026.

Sources: punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab), punekarnews.in (2) (opens in a new tab)

The legal power: the District Authority may “control and restrict the entry of any person into, his movement within and departure from, a vulnerable or affected area” (Disaster Management Act 2005, s.34(c)).

Source: prsindia.org (opens in a new tab)

Who decides

The District Disaster Management Authority, chaired by the Collector (Disaster Management Act 2005, s.25(2)(a)); for Pune district, the Pune Collector. Inside Pimpri-Chinchwad in July 2026, Municipal Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryawanshi directed the response and the civic administration moved people. The irrigation department decides dam releases.

Sources: prsindia.org (opens in a new tab), freepressjournal.in (opens in a new tab), punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab), punekarnews.in (2) (opens in a new tab)

Public channel

SACHET, NDMA's alert system on the Common Alerting Protocol, sends geo-targeted SMS and runs in all 36 states and union territories. A Cell Broadcast Alert System was launched on 2 May 2026 with a nationwide test, to run in several Indian languages after testing. In Pimpri-Chinchwad on 6 July 2026, the commissioner directed warnings by public announcement systems in vulnerable areas.

Sources: etvbharat.com (opens in a new tab), ianslive.in (opens in a new tab), freepressjournal.in (opens in a new tab)

Dose from: The SACHET or cell-broadcast target area: the district, or only the riverside wards.

Sentinels

Recent flood lesson

Pimpri-Chinchwad floods

Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, July 2026

The order to warn riverside areas by public announcement came on 6 July, during the flood. The reports we read describe no advance warning to each household in those pockets, though rain totals and dam releases are measured and announced hours ahead.

Sources: freepressjournal.in (opens in a new tab), punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab)

The flood ladder in India

  1. Step 1: Watch

    IMD colour warnings for Pune district, rain-gauge totals (268 mm in 24 hours at Chinchwad), CWC gauges against the Warning and Danger Levels where a river has one, and dam-release notices. Each announced release step is a trigger.

  2. Step 2: Ask

    Ring the dam flood control cell, ward-office staff and Aapda Mitra volunteers where trained: “Is the water at the Thergaon bridge, or on River Road, where you are?”

  3. Step 3: Slow

    Wave 1 is the pockets that flooded in July 2026, then the blue-line zone, then the red-line zone. Routes avoid the Thergaon bridge, Telco Road, Spine Road and the Dehu-Alandi road. Each wave has a named ward shelter.

  4. Step 4: Hold

    The commissioner's control room, or the Collector as chair of the district authority, approves the words. VoiceFlare holds only its own calls, never an NDMA, SACHET or IMD message.

  5. Step 5: Hand to a person

    People who consented share live GPS with PCMC fire rescue teams, the control room and NDRF. A silent household gets a door knock from the ward office.

What stays, what changes

Six rules travel to every flood plain unchanged. Six adapters take the local words, people and law.

Stays the same everywhere

  1. A named human approves

    A mayor, a collector, a sheriff or an SES controller: a person with a name approves every order. Feeds and models only propose.

  2. The edge is asked first

    Before an order wakes a zone, people at its edge are asked: “Is the water at the bridge?”

  3. The dose shows, the hold sends on time

    The board shows how many phones an order will wake before it goes. The hold can delay VoiceFlare's own alert, never stop it, and never touches an official warning.

  4. Only approved words are read

    Calls read the official words the human approved, in the person's language. Never an arrival time, never “you are safe”.

  5. A canary checks delivery

    One phone inside the flood zone and one outside report whether the alert arrived where it should.

  6. Silence gets a door knock

    No answer means a retry, a linked contact, then a door knock. Every decision is logged with a name and a reason.

Changes with the country

  • Ladder words

    India
    Remain alert · Avoid entering riverbeds
    Japan
    警戒レベル4 避難指示
    China
    立即转移
    Greece
    Οργανωμένη προληπτική απομάκρυνση
    United States
    Evacuation Order
    Australia
    Emergency Warning: Evacuate now

  • Who decides

    India
    The Collector; the PCMC commissioner in the city
    Japan
    The mayor (市町村長)
    China
    Flood control headquarters (防汛抗旱指挥部)
    Greece
    The mayor or regional governor
    United States
    Sheriff or police chief
    Australia
    NSW SES

  • Emergency number

    India
    112
    Japan
    119
    China
    119
    Greece
    112
    United States
    911
    Australia
    000

  • Public channel and dose

    India
    SACHET SMS and cell broadcast
    Japan
    緊急速報メール and disaster radio
    China
    12379 SMS and village loudspeakers
    Greece
    112 messages
    United States
    WEA and county alerts
    Australia
    Emergency Alert and AusAlert

  • Voice platform and AI model

    Local carriers and a registered number in each place. Where the usual model is not offered, as in mainland China, a domestic model hosted in-country sits behind the same tools and the same approved-words rule.

  • Privacy and maps

    Live GPS only with consent, under each place's law: the DPDP Act in India, APPI in Japan, PIPL in China, GDPR in Greece, the Privacy Act in Australia, California privacy law. GPS is stored in WGS-84; Chinese basemaps use GCJ-02, so it is converted only to draw.

Sources

Every fact on this page links to where it came from. Hover a link to see the claim it supports.

IndiaPune · 16 sources
  1. Chinchwad recorded 268.0 mm in the 24 hours ending 8:30 am IST on 7 July 2026 (IMD AWS/ARG data); other stations' totals; NDRF on high alert. punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab)
  2. Second straight day above 200 mm at Chinchwad; 206 mm the day before. thebridgechronicle.com (opens in a new tab)
  3. More than 1,500 residents stuck in their homes in Tanajinagar, Keshavnagar and Laxminagar; Pavana, Mula and Indrayani rose; Thergaon bridge submerged; roads disrupted (updated 7 July 2026). dainikprabhat.com (opens in a new tab)
  4. PCMC moved 1,880 residents to safer locations by noon on Monday 6 July 2026; relief shelters in the A, B, D and H wards; the Commissioner directed monitoring of river levels. punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab)
  5. IMD red alert for Pune district on 6 July 2026; 1,880 moved by noon from Ambedkar Colony, Bhat Nagar and River Road, with evacuations under way in Phugewadi and Kasarwadi; Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryawanshi directed advance warnings by public announcement systems. freepressjournal.in (opens in a new tab)
  6. 24 July 2026: Pavana discharge raised from 5,600 to 7,000 cusecs at 8 pm, possibly 9,000 in phases; dam about 97% full; the words of PCMC, the Mayor, the Commissioner and the Pavana dam flood control cell to riverbank residents and farmers; control room and fire helpline numbers. punekarnews.in (opens in a new tab)
  7. Khadakwasla release raised to 22,880 cusecs on 31 July 2026, possibly 30,000. thebridgechronicle.com (opens in a new tab)
  8. Disaster Management Act 2005: s.25(2)(a) the Collector chairs the District Authority; s.34(c) movement control; s.24(e) the State Executive Committee directs evacuation. prsindia.org (opens in a new tab)
  9. CWC flood categories: Above Normal (at or above Warning Level, below Danger Level), Severe (at or above Danger Level, below HFL), Extreme (HFL equalled or exceeded). cwc.gov.in (opens in a new tab)
  10. Cell Broadcast Alert System launched 2 May 2026 with a nationwide test; alerts go through SACHET; several Indian languages after testing. ianslive.in (opens in a new tab)
  11. SACHET is based on the Common Alerting Protocol, is operational in all 36 states and union territories, and sends geo-targeted SMS. etvbharat.com (opens in a new tab)
  12. 112 is India's single emergency number (ERSS), integrating police (100), fire (101) and health (108). onmanorama.com (opens in a new tab)
  13. Aapda Mitra: NDMA scheme since May 2016; began in 30 flood-prone districts, scaled to 350 districts and 100,000 volunteers; kits and insurance. en.vikaspedia.in (opens in a new tab)
  14. Aapda Mitra volunteer training. deccanherald.com (opens in a new tab)
  15. IMD's colour-coded warnings: Green, Yellow, Orange, Red. deccanherald.com (opens in a new tab)
  16. Pune flood lines: blue line = 25-year flood, red line = 100-year flood (Water Resources Department). sandrp.in (opens in a new tab)
JapanChiba · 17 sources
  1. JMA's new system began 29 May 2026, with the alert level in each warning's name (e.g. レベル３大雨警報); Level 5 linked to the mayor's 緊急安全確保. jma.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
  2. Level names for river flood and heavy rain, Level 1 早期注意情報, and 警戒レベル4までに必ず避難; Level 3/4/5 = 高齢者等避難/避難指示/緊急安全確保 (JMA Tokyo Regional HQ). ktr.mlit.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
  3. Official English: 危険警報 = “Urgent Warning”; “Level N Emergency Warning / Urgent Warning / Warning / Advisory (Flood | Heavy rain)”. jma.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
  4. Issuers: about 400 rivers by river office or prefecture with the 気象台; heavy rain by the 気象台; Level 5 氾濫特別警報 issued with 氾濫発生情報; the mayor decides 緊急安全確保. jma.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
  5. Start on the afternoon of 28 May (legal 29 May) 2026; warnings are not evacuation orders; Level 3/4/5 mapped to evacuation information. tenki.jp (opens in a new tab)
  6. May 2021 amendment merged 避難勧告 into 避難指示; mayors issue evacuation information; municipalities set criteria under the Act and Cabinet Office guidelines. fdma.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
  7. 避難行動要支援者名簿 mandatory, 1,727 of 1,741 municipalities (99.2%) by 1 Oct 2020; 個別避難計画 a municipal effort obligation since May 2021. fdma.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
  8. J-ALERT carries missile, earthquake early warning, tsunami and special-warning (e.g. 大雨特別警報) information; switches on municipal disaster radio automatically; reaches phones as 緊急速報メール. fdma.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
  9. 緊急速報メール: a free service of the mobile carriers that sends national and local government disaster and evacuation information to compatible phones in an area, with no sign-up; messages can reach neighbouring areas (Fukushima Prefecture). pref.fukushima.lg.jp (opens in a new tab)
  10. Level 5 緊急安全確保 may not be issuable. safetytips-web.rcsc.co.jp (opens in a new tab)
  11. Level 4: everyone leaves dangerous places, by leaving (立ち退き避難) or staying somewhere safe indoors (屋内安全確保). ktr.mlit.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
  12. 水防団 defined under Art. 6 of the Flood Fighting Act; 水防協力団体 designated under Art. 36. mlit.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
  13. 消防団 members are non-regular special local public servants who keep other jobs and work with fire staff. pref.kagoshima.jp (opens in a new tab)
  14. Chiba, 13 Aug 2026: call shortly before 7 pm about a man floating on a flooded road in Ichikawa; Level 5 heavy-rain warnings at 7:30 pm; woman in cardiopulmonary arrest, trapped in a vehicle on a flooded road in Kashiwa. english.adnkronos.com (opens in a new tab)
  15. Municipalities under the Level 5 warning; JMA's Takuya Hosomi: “It is highly likely that some sort of disaster has already occurred”. english.adnkronos.com (opens in a new tab)
  16. At least six dead as of 1 pm on 14 Aug 2026; over 7,300 in shelters; about 7,000 stranded at Narita; Disaster Relief Act applied to 25 municipalities. civic-force.org (opens in a new tab)
  17. 119 fire and ambulance, 110 police, 118 Coast Guard. expatica.com (opens in a new tab)
ChinaZhengzhou · 10 sources
  1. MWR Information Centre issued a 洪水黄色预警 on 20 Aug 2026 for nine provinces; advice 远离低洼空间，提前做好转移避险相关准备; MWR Ⅲ/Ⅳ级 flood defence responses. news.cn (opens in a new tab)
  2. MWR mountain-torrent forecast, monitoring and on-site warnings; 准备转移 / 立即转移; slogan 蓝色多留意、黄色早准备、橙色有序转、红色马上撤; rolling 2-3 hour nowcasts with 叫应 to named responsible units and persons; vulnerable-group relocation lists. m.gmw.cn (opens in a new tab)
  3. A CMA Public Meteorological Service Center expert: warning signals generally run blue/yellow/orange/red; blue and yellow mean pay attention and prepare; orange and red are an instruction to take refuge. m.gmw.cn (opens in a new tab)
  4. National Flood Control and Drought Relief Emergency Plan 2022 (国办函〔2022〕48号): response levels; relocation (4.6.2); mountain-torrent evacuation (4.6.3); 紧急防汛期 (4.6.1); village 信号发送员 (3.2.4); township flood staff (2.3); SMS and broadcast channels (5.1.4). gov.cn (opens in a new tab)
  5. The early-warning release system's channels: 12379 SMS and 16 others. news.ifeng.com (opens in a new tab)
  6. The National Early Warning Information Release Center sits under the CMA Public Meteorological Service Center and began operating in May 2015. rmzxw.com.cn (opens in a new tab)
  7. Guangdong, June 2025: 群测群防, grid workers, 临灾预警叫应, the five links 谁组织、转移谁、何时转、转何处、不擅返; 112 people moved an hour ahead in Jiayi town (Luoding), 1,200+ in Zhongzhou town (Huaiji), zero casualties. cn.chinadaily.com.cn (opens in a new tab)
  8. Zhengzhou 7·20 investigation report: 398 dead or missing in Henan, 380 in Zhengzhou; 120.06 billion yuan losses; weak warning-response linkage; Metro Line 5 and tunnel deaths were responsibility incidents. chinanews.com.cn (opens in a new tab)
  9. State Council investigation team Q&A: fifth red warning at 16:01, Level I only at 16:30; Level I not started on time despite a major danger at Changzhuang reservoir; over 90% of the 251 dead or missing in four hilly cities lost 13:00-15:00, before Level I; 139 deaths concealed. bjnews.com.cn (opens in a new tab)
  10. National Fire and Rescue Administration: 462 water-rescue specialist teams, 27,000 people (June 2026). stdaily.com (opens in a new tab)
Greece (EU)Thessaly · Valencia · 15 sources
  1. Patras special flood evacuation plan (April 2026), under Law 4662/2020: the mayor decides, the regional governor if more than one municipality; flash floods are rescue led by the Fire Service; 112 via ΕΣΚΕΔΙΚ; English 112; door to door with loudspeakers; on-site refuge; police lead notification with volunteers. e-patras.gr (opens in a new tab)
  2. Region of Central Greece civil protection release (23 July 2026): ΕΜΥ emergency bulletin Ε.Δ.Ε.Κ.Φ. 5/2026 with a red warning for 24-25 July; emergency numbers police 100, Fire Service 199, ambulance (ΕΚΑΒ) 166, 112. dimos-lokron.gov.gr (opens in a new tab)
  3. Civil protection Risk Assessment Committee and red-code mobilisation for 11 areas (July 2026). tanea.gr (opens in a new tab)
  4. Unified Civil Protection Volunteering Registry and its registers under Law 4662/2020. taxheaven.gr (opens in a new tab)
  5. Storm Daniel: 112 messages to Pieria, Thessaly, the Sporades, Evia and Fthiotida; Thessaloniki asked to limit movements (4 Sep 2023). iefimerida.gr (opens in a new tab)
  6. Storm Daniel: 14 dead, 3 missing, more than 4,250 evacuated as of 10 Sep 2023; most intense rainstorm since records began in 1930. cyprus-mail.com (opens in a new tab)
  7. EFAS notifications go to registered partners and the ERCC, are not public warnings, and follow the single-voice principle. european-flood.emergency.copernicus.eu (opens in a new tab)
  8. EFAS in October 2024: 38 formal and 43 informal flood notifications, 262 flash-flood notifications. european-flood.emergency.copernicus.eu (opens in a new tab)
  9. Article 110 of the European Electronic Communications Code makes mobile public warning (reverse 112) mandatory in member states. ctif.org (opens in a new tab)
  10. ES-Alert, cell broadcast, nationwide from February 2023, run through the national CENEM and the regional emergency centres. interior.gob.es (opens in a new tab)
  11. Valencia: the Generalitat had the ES-Alert draft at 18:37 (“permanezcan en sus domicilios”); sent later, per documents sent to the Catarroja judge. elindependiente.com (opens in a new tab)
  12. The alert reached phones at 20:11, when many of the deaths had already happened; the red alert had been decreed early that morning. en.ara.cat (opens in a new tab)
  13. The Catarroja court raises the official DANA death toll to 232 (September 2026). moncloa.com (opens in a new tab)
  14. Turís: 771 l/m² in 24 hours, and 185 in one hour, a Spanish one-hour record; wettest October since the series began in 1961. aemet.es (opens in a new tab)
  15. Júcar basin (SAIH) operator: e-mails around 18:43, an internal rule since 2015 to e-mail rather than call, reading not confirmed, 25 rain gauges watched. eldebate.com (opens in a new tab)
United StatesCalifornia · 21 sources
  1. NWS definitions of Flood Advisory, Flood Watch, Flood Warning and Flash Flood Warning. weather.gov (opens in a new tab)
  2. NWS definition of Flash Flood Emergency (exceedingly rare, severe threat to human life, catastrophic damage). weather.gov (opens in a new tab)
  3. Flash Flood Emergency definition (NWS Albany). weather.gov (opens in a new tab)
  4. Cal OES standard evacuation terms (May 2020): Evacuation Warning, Evacuation Order, Shelter in Place, Lifted. malibucity.org (opens in a new tab)
  5. City of Roseville page quoting California's standard evacuation terms. roseville.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)
  6. FIRESCOPE Evacuation Terminology Working Group white paper. firescope.caloes.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)
  7. Penal Code 409.5: a sheriff or police chief can close an area, and so order an evacuation; no crime for a person who stays home after the closure. fresnosheriff.org (opens in a new tab)
  8. Cal OES legal guidelines for flood evacuation. caloes.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)
  9. WEA 90- and 360-character limits; Spanish shown only on phones set to Spanish; no automatic translation. fcc.gov (opens in a new tab)
  10. FCC multilingual alerting for EAS and WEA. fcc.gov (opens in a new tab)
  11. FEMA IPAWS Wireless Emergency Alerts. fema.gov (opens in a new tab)
  12. Cal OES: every county in California offers free emergency alerts; sign up through CalAlerts.org. news.caloes.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)
  13. SKYWARN spotters: free training; they coordinate with local emergency managers. weather.gov (opens in a new tab)
  14. CoCoRaHS in California: since 2008; more than 1,000 observers as of spring 2020. weather.gov (opens in a new tab)
  15. California's CERT program is run by Cal OES. caloes.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)
  16. CNRFC river and reservoir data: more than 1,000 stations, updated every 10 minutes. cnrfc.noaa.gov (opens in a new tab)
  17. CNRFC river guidance issued jointly with California DWR. cnrfc.noaa.gov (opens in a new tab)
  18. CDEC real-time river stage maps and data. cdec.water.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)
  19. Pajaro levee breach around midnight Friday 10 March 2023, about 100 ft wide; more than 8,500 under orders or warnings; about 1,700 Pajaro residents, many Latino farmworkers; door to door on Friday afternoon; more than 50 rescued (AP). ksat.com (opens in a new tab)
  20. Texas, July 2025: Flash Flood Warning for Kerr County at 1:14 a.m.; NWS summary counts 139 deaths, 119 along the Guadalupe. kxan.com (opens in a new tab)
  21. Commerce OIG review OIG-26-017-I (9 April 2026): multiple flood alerts on 3 and 4 July; no recommendations. oversight.gov (opens in a new tab)
AustraliaLismore · 19 sources
  1. BoM Flood Watch (not a warning of imminent flooding, up to four days ahead); Minor, Moderate and Major definitions; Severe Weather Warnings for flash flooding. bom.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
  2. Australian Warning System levels and calls to action, including flood statements. knowledge.aidr.org.au (opens in a new tab)
  3. NSW SES warning levels and colours, “Evacuate now” at Emergency Warning, Hazards Near Me, Emergency Alert by text and voice; uses BoM flood warnings. ses.nsw.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
  4. NSW SES moved to the AWS for floods on 30 September 2022, from seven levels to three. abc.net.au (opens in a new tab)
  5. NSW SES wording “emergency warning to evacuate by 9pm tonight” (6 March 2025). ses.nsw.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
  6. NSW State Flood Plan: NSW SES is the Combat Agency for floods; approved 14 November 2024. ses.nsw.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
  7. NSW SES manages the response to floods, storms and tsunami; 132 500. ses.nsw.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
  8. 000; 112 from mobiles; 106 for TTY; no texting. infrastructure.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
  9. Emergency calls (ACMA). acma.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
  10. AusAlert national cell broadcast; national test 27 July 2026; planned launch 1 October 2026. en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
  11. AusAlert to be used alongside the SMS Emergency Alert over the 2026/27 summer; the SMS system to be phased out in July 2027; national test 27 July 2026. canberratimes.com.au (opens in a new tab)
  12. NEMA AusAlert page. nema.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
  13. BoM volunteers collect data from about 5,900 rainfall stations and more than 1,000 river height gauges. media.bom.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
  14. Lismore: 14.4 m on 28 February 2022, the highest on record; previous record 12.11 m (1954, 1974). lismore.nsw.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
  15. NSW 2022 floods: 13 deaths; more than 2,200 rescue activations, 862 in Lismore on 28 February; BoM forecast minor to moderate two days before; the Tinny Army. knowledge.aidr.org.au (opens in a new tab)
  16. Inquiry: failures to give timely warnings; community rescues outnumbered SES rescues; evacuation orders should not signal rescues. abc.net.au (opens in a new tab)
  17. Inquiry report released; local first-responder program recommended; boats and jet skis; all 28 recommendations accepted. abc.net.au (opens in a new tab)
  18. NSW parliamentary inquiry: warnings out of date, inaccurate and confusing; unanswered 000 and SES calls. abc.net.au (opens in a new tab)
  19. 2022 Flood Inquiry volumes (summary, full report, appendices). apo.org.au (opens in a new tab)