Flood early warning for early action—evacuation and transfer: case of Shouchang Town, Zhejiang Province, China

Flooding in riverine basins remains a recurring disaster, often leading to extensive property destruction and, in extreme scenarios, loss of lives. In recent years, the Shouchang River Basin in Zhejiang Province, China, has experienced increasing flood risks, driven by a combination of extreme weath...

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Main Authors: Wellington W. Musyoka, Wang Jun, Anthony M. Mwanthi, Ruth W. Kiarii
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Water
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frwa.2025.1553146/full
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author Wellington W. Musyoka
Wellington W. Musyoka
Wang Jun
Anthony M. Mwanthi
Anthony M. Mwanthi
Ruth W. Kiarii
author_facet Wellington W. Musyoka
Wellington W. Musyoka
Wang Jun
Anthony M. Mwanthi
Anthony M. Mwanthi
Ruth W. Kiarii
author_sort Wellington W. Musyoka
collection DOAJ
description Flooding in riverine basins remains a recurring disaster, often leading to extensive property destruction and, in extreme scenarios, loss of lives. In recent years, the Shouchang River Basin in Zhejiang Province, China, has experienced increasing flood risks, driven by a combination of extreme weather events, urban expansion, and alterations in natural land use. Managing these events is becoming increasingly crucial to minimize the impact on vulnerable communities and critical infrastructure. This study develops an integrated framework for flood forecasting and hydrodynamic floodplain mapping using HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS 6.5 over a 10 km stretch of the Shouchang River upstream of Shouchang Town. The hydrological model (HEC-HMS) simulates rainfall-runoff processes across five sub-basins, using observed rainfall and streamflow data from four gauging stations, to capture key flow dynamics. Based on local plans for Shouchang Town, a total of 28 villages are situated within exposure areas of sub-basin 5. Out of villages only 22 rescue centers are found to be unaffected and thus effective for sheltering flood victims. Four rescue centers, Yongjiaqiao, Henanli, Ximen, and Datanbian would need relocation to higher grounds, including adding new resettlement sites and modifying transfer plans and routes. Simulations show that, while flood defenses protect most regions under upstream flows of 1,200 m3/s, the levees along Shili Shouchngjiang Ecology Leisure Greenway breach once this threshold is surpassed. The study highlights the need to review the existing flood evacuation and transfer analysis system, given that some evacuation centers could be exposed to flood associated risks.
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spelling doaj-art-c768a59207764ed39f1f6dd96b3536f62025-08-20T02:16:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Water2624-93752025-04-01710.3389/frwa.2025.15531461553146Flood early warning for early action—evacuation and transfer: case of Shouchang Town, Zhejiang Province, ChinaWellington W. Musyoka0Wellington W. Musyoka1Wang Jun2Anthony M. Mwanthi3Anthony M. Mwanthi4Ruth W. Kiarii5Department of Hydrology & Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, ChinaMinistry of Water, Sanitation & Irrigation, Nairobi, KenyaDepartment of Hydrology & Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, ChinaDepartment of Earth and Climate Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, KenyaIGAD Climate Predictions and Applications Centre, Nairobi, KenyaDepartment of Water Conservancy and Hydropower, Hohai University, Nanjing, ChinaFlooding in riverine basins remains a recurring disaster, often leading to extensive property destruction and, in extreme scenarios, loss of lives. In recent years, the Shouchang River Basin in Zhejiang Province, China, has experienced increasing flood risks, driven by a combination of extreme weather events, urban expansion, and alterations in natural land use. Managing these events is becoming increasingly crucial to minimize the impact on vulnerable communities and critical infrastructure. This study develops an integrated framework for flood forecasting and hydrodynamic floodplain mapping using HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS 6.5 over a 10 km stretch of the Shouchang River upstream of Shouchang Town. The hydrological model (HEC-HMS) simulates rainfall-runoff processes across five sub-basins, using observed rainfall and streamflow data from four gauging stations, to capture key flow dynamics. Based on local plans for Shouchang Town, a total of 28 villages are situated within exposure areas of sub-basin 5. Out of villages only 22 rescue centers are found to be unaffected and thus effective for sheltering flood victims. Four rescue centers, Yongjiaqiao, Henanli, Ximen, and Datanbian would need relocation to higher grounds, including adding new resettlement sites and modifying transfer plans and routes. Simulations show that, while flood defenses protect most regions under upstream flows of 1,200 m3/s, the levees along Shili Shouchngjiang Ecology Leisure Greenway breach once this threshold is surpassed. The study highlights the need to review the existing flood evacuation and transfer analysis system, given that some evacuation centers could be exposed to flood associated risks.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frwa.2025.1553146/fullflood-mappingflood-forecastingHEC-HMS-HEC-RAS modelingvictims evacuation and transferShouchang River
spellingShingle Wellington W. Musyoka
Wellington W. Musyoka
Wang Jun
Anthony M. Mwanthi
Anthony M. Mwanthi
Ruth W. Kiarii
Flood early warning for early action—evacuation and transfer: case of Shouchang Town, Zhejiang Province, China
Frontiers in Water
flood-mapping
flood-forecasting
HEC-HMS-HEC-RAS modeling
victims evacuation and transfer
Shouchang River
title Flood early warning for early action—evacuation and transfer: case of Shouchang Town, Zhejiang Province, China
title_full Flood early warning for early action—evacuation and transfer: case of Shouchang Town, Zhejiang Province, China
title_fullStr Flood early warning for early action—evacuation and transfer: case of Shouchang Town, Zhejiang Province, China
title_full_unstemmed Flood early warning for early action—evacuation and transfer: case of Shouchang Town, Zhejiang Province, China
title_short Flood early warning for early action—evacuation and transfer: case of Shouchang Town, Zhejiang Province, China
title_sort flood early warning for early action evacuation and transfer case of shouchang town zhejiang province china
topic flood-mapping
flood-forecasting
HEC-HMS-HEC-RAS modeling
victims evacuation and transfer
Shouchang River
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frwa.2025.1553146/full
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