A recent collection compiled by UNISDR’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Group (STAG) in 2015 includes an article about a FORIN-style case study by IRDR ICoE Taipei by Tony C. Liu from the Academy of Sciences located in Taipei, China, and Wei-Sen Li (NSDR, Taipei). Entitled “Improved Evacuation Procedures Save Lives in Taiwan from Severe Flood and Debris Flow”, this study is part of the ongoing FORIN-style investigation of the 2009 Typhoon Morakot when record rainfalls over Southern Taiwan had caused large-scale floods, landslides, and debris flows.

A study based on the FORIN method was conducted to compare two indigenous villages (e.g., Nansalu and Daniao) that were adversely impacted by floods and debris flow during the Typhoon. The study reviewed available government data and academic papers and reports and included in-depth interviews conducted with disaster victims and village leaders. Both villages had similar accumulated rainfall and were adjacent to potential debris flow torrent, but the number of casualties varied greatly (Daniao did not have any casualties, while Nansalu had 35 casualties).

For more information on FORIN, click here. For more information on the Morakot study, click here.