Numerous global water disasters have devastated many regions, and some may be due to climate change. Severe water disasters not only may inflict heavily damage on industry but may also leave many persons dead or seriously injured.
The 2011 Thailand flood is a typical example of such disasters. In it, a wide area of the Chao Phraya River basin, where Bangkok is located, was inundated for a long period. Damage by the flood affected not only the domestic scene but also economies and industries all over the world. Many academicians and researchers have executed field surveys from various academic aspects and have studied flood disasters to clarify what actually occurred and to consider what must be done to mitigate such flood events in the future.
The Journal of Disaster Research has planned a special issue on this severe flooding in Thailand. Having participated in field surveys and found the flood worth studying more deeply, I decided to contribute to this special issue as a Guest Editor.
This special issue contains 9 articles, 7 papers and 2 reports, all of which have been peer-reviewed. The broad topics covered range from a detailed field survey to flood and inundation simulation.
I would like to extend sincere thanks to all of the contributors and reviewers involved in producing these articles. Especially, I would especially like to express my gratitude to Dr. Hiroshi Takebayashi, Associate Professor, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan, for his great support. I look forward with great anticipation to any feedback that readers may be able to provide regarding these articles.
Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University