2010 Great Fornax Flood

On 17 July 2010, around 20:15 Caroline Time, UTC +11, parts of Fornax have experience the first wave of heavy downpour. The Cicone Delta Region was the first to receive the downpour, colliding with a high tide.

Within the first 10 minutes of downpour, the river level rose quickly. By then tenth, the river water begin to over flow its banks.

As the huge cluster army of grey clouds begin to move inland, large amount of surface water flows into the river from populated areas, areas that have concreted surfaces, unable to let water sip into the ground.

Within the first 30 minutes, large area of Cicone is flooded, with a reported deepest level at that time is Downtown Cicone having a knee-deep water level. At around the same time, Sodom begins to have reports of flooding. The clouds then reach the Melanesian Mountain Range, inviting more flooding trouble.

At around 21:05, with a heavy downpour filling up Lake Levitas colliding with the large river flow of water from the Melanesian Range, the Lake Levitas Region will be flooded rapidly.

Lake Levitas is actually a depression of land below sea level that is filled with water, forming a lake overtime. Three out sources was then created, allowing the lake water to empty out to the sea.

By 22:00, cities around the Bay of Kelton and the Bay of Sypogen reported cases of flooding. It is the same story of the cities along Pearl Straits.

All around Fornax, cases of power tripping in populated areas is becoming common. Hospitals nationwide are reported to be flooded at ground level.

Just before midnight, downpour have ceased in certain areas, then the second wave resume its attack at around one in the morning.

The extend of the flood is not yet known due to problems with communications. The known extend of the damage caused by the flood will be known in the morning of 18 July.

As of 06:00, according to the Melanesia Caroline Meteorological Station, rain has stop in most parts of Fornax, while a slight drizzle is expected. A total of four waves of downpour have hit most areas of Fornax, especially the Cicone Delta Region. It is still unknown whether any help are being rendered to the flood victims due to constant power tripping and problems in the communication link with Fornax.

Reminds me of the Orchard Road flood

Yup, only on a bigger scale.

Great Fornax Flood is inspired by the recent series of floods in Singapore. With the current floodings all around Asia (Southern China, Vietnam, Philippines, Bangladesh) all due to either heavy downpour or Typhoon Conson, plus the cloud patterns over Fornax at real time via satellite images, the Fornax Flood came at the right role-playing timing.

Notice: Due to an unexpected issue, I have changed the timeline for the 2010 Great Fornax Flood. Instead of it happening on July 17, the event have shifted to today. Several minor incidents and timings will change.

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General
Starting on 19 July 2010 at around 16:15 Caroline Time, UTC +11, flash floods happen in most parts of Fornax. Prolonged heavy downpour coincided with high tides, causing major floodings.

Based on estimates so far, the 2010 Great Fornax Flood will be the costliest natural disaster that ever hit Fornax.

High Tide
Due to the effects of Typhoon Conson, sea level around Fornax rise to unusual sea level in the month of July. At this point of the year in the past, high tide readings are within a range of 1.9m to 2.4m, depending on the region andthe time taken. However, at the point of the heavy downpour, tide levels are at unusual height.

Past Readings on July 19, 13:30-14:30 (High Tide)
Cicone Delta Region
2010: 2.7m
2009: 2.2m
2008: 2.3m
Bay of Sypogen
2010: 2.3m
2009: 1.8m
2008: 1.7m
Bay of Kelton
2010: 2.5m
2009: 2.0m
2008: 2.0m
Pearl Straits - Northern End
2010: 2.8m
2009: 2.2m
2008: 2.1m
Pearl Straits - Southern End
2010: 2.6m
2009: 2.1m
2008: 2.0m

Heavy Downpour and Duration
Sightings of dark clouds spreading over a wide area on the Northeastern seaboard of Fornax. Cicone Delta Region was the first to sight the dark clouds, first reporting it at around 14:25. The army of clouds then continue to travel inland.

Heavy rain then began to pour over the Cicone Delta Region and the Northeastern coast of Fornax at around 16:15. By then, the clouds have covered the Melanesian Mountaineous Range, all prepared to release the rain. By 16:45, rain began pouring down on the Melanesian Range on its windward side.

The heavy downpour attacked Fornax non-stop for hours. For about four hours, the heavy downpour calmed into a drizzle at around 20:40. At the time of this report (22:35), it is still drizzling over many areas of Fornax.

The Melanesia Caroline Meteorological Station predicts that heavy downpour will return to Fornax in the late morning tomorrow. Downpour is expected for the next three to four days.

River and its Source
All six major rivers of the island of Melanesia have their river source from the Melanesian Range. As rain pour down on the windward side of the mountain range, 4 major Fornaxian Rivers (River Cicone, River Sypogen, River Kelton and River Levitas) face a rising river water level. The other two are on the leeward side within the Xenian territory. Settlements along River Cicone and the Lake Levitas Region were the worse hit amongst the four major rivers.

River Cicone and its Delta Region
Thousands of years ago, the Bay of Cicone was slowly filled up with sediments forming the delta it is total. Since the Industrial Revolution in 1800s, the Cicone Delta Region became an important trading port of the Sea of Melanesia.

Since the 1980s, the Cicone Delta Region expanded outwards rapidly due to urbanisation. This increase the surface runoff along River Cicone and the Cicone Delta Region, increasing the likelihood of a major flooding. This likelihood came true when Cyclone Ului was intensified to a Category 5 Tropical Cyclone on 13 March 2010.

On March 13, the tropical cyclone intensified from a Category 2 to Category 5 within 24 hours. On that night when it intensified into a Cat. 5, its "arm of clouds" span over the Melanesia Range, depositing a huge amount of water over the mountain range. Most of the deposited water flow into River Cicone, causing a river surge throughout the night. Several lifes were lost and property damages climb into the millions. It was ultimately dubbed as one of the worse damages made by a natural disaster to hit Fornax.

As the Great Fornax Flood happens just 4 months after Cyclone Ului, memories of Cyclone Ului haunts the millions of people living along River Cicone.

River Levitas and its Lake Region
Lake Levitas is a huge depression of land that was filled with water flowing down from the Melanesian Range thousands of years ago. As the water continue to fill up the depression, it found three outlets that flow out into the ocean.

Due to the heavy downpour on the Melanesian Range, the rate of the water flowing into Lake Levitas is much faster than the rate of the water flowing out from Lake Levitas. The Lake Levitas Region was then quickly flooded, including its three outlets overflowing.

River Sypogen and its Bay
With the relocation of the country's capital from Kace Point to Sypogen earlier this year in January, a construction boom occurs all around Sypogen. The Capital is also shared with the country of Xena.

The construction boom, together with the developed downtown, increased the surface runoff for River Sypogen. The construction of Sypogen Maxwell Roland International Airport, or Symaria for short, near the river mouth created much controversy on whether it will affect the river water from flowing out into the bay.

Sypogen was heavily affected by the Great Fornax Flood. As Sypogen was also the epicentre of the ongoing Fornax Flu, concerns of the virus spreading faster due to the presence of flood water.

River Kelton and its Bay
With two cities built at the river mouth, surface runoff have increased over the years. The cities of Kelton and Bonjovi were spared from major floodings for over many years. However, the 2010 season decided not the let these two cities go this time.

Pearl Straits
Pearl Straits is the main outlet of the three outlets which flows water from the Sea of Melanesia to the Ontong Java Sea. As a result, water continuously flow water from the north to the south 24/7.

During the July 2010 Monsoon Season, a large amount of rainwater collected from countries around the Sea of Melanesia emptied the waters into the same sea. Coinciding with the high tide, an the handling capacity of the Pearl Straits went over capacity. Settlements along the Pearl Straits became flooded unexpectedly.

Current Flood Situation
As of 22:35, flood waters are receding at a very slow pace due to high tides at the Sea of Melanesia. Flood waters are expected to clear away about 24-48 hours after the last heavy downpour ceased releasing its rain three to four days later. Lake Levitas will take a longer time, ranging from 36-72 hours after the last downpour.

Major cities all around Fornax are heavily affected by the flood. The worse hit areas are the Cicone Delta Region and the Lake Levitas Region. Sypogen, Bay of Kelton and Pearl Straits receive moderate to heavy damages. Only the island of Ontong Java Plateau received little or no damages.

Medical Instituitions
Several hospitals countrywide are affected by the flood waters. In both Cicone and Sypogen, close to 85% of the hospitals face flood water indoors.

Cicone Delta Region
Both cities of Cicone and Sodom are completely submerged. Subway systems in both cities are partially submerged despite efforts in flood prevention measures. Developed areas along the River and the Delta region are submerged. Even the agricultural lands around the Cicone Delta Region experience damages in its crops.

Lake Levitas Region
Populated areas around the lake are completely submerged. Crops are heavily damaged.

Bay of Sypogen and Bay of Kelton
Cities of Sypogen, Kelton and Bonjovi were mostly submerged initially. At the current situation, floodwaters have receded in some areas. In Sypogen, flood waters have halted all construction works at the current two subway lines construction. The reason is because flood waters have fill into the construction sites. Fortunately, no one were inside the subway tunnels at the time of the flood. The other subway lines are operational as per normal.

Pearl Straits
Floodings are not as as severe as the other heavily affected areas. Canals that was over-capacity spread its flood waters out into its surrounding areas.

Melanesian Range
Landslides are heavily reported around the mountaineous region. Hundreds of homes have been buried by the soil, trapping families in their homes.

One of the hydroelectric dams built along River Cicone, Grandour I Dam, almost reach it's dangerous capacity level at 20:20. Its spillways were open at full capacity in an attempt to drain out water in the Grandour I dam to minimise the risk. However, this creates a problem downstream as Grandour II's water capacity increase at a rapid rate, falling short of the dangerous capacity level. Its spillways were then open to empty water out at a certain rate in order not to stress Grandour III and Grandour IV further downstream.

In advance, spillways for Grandour III and Grandour IV were open to allow a small amount of water to empty downstream to lower the reservoir's capacity just in case that there is a need to rapidly empty water out from Grandour I and Grandour II. However, all of these measures have add onto the flooding problems around the Cicone Delta Region.

Abraham Peninsula
Flood waters have receded completely in most towns and cities. Crops in the Northern Region are damaged.

Fornax Flu Pandemic
Please refer to this post about the Fornax Flu Pandemic for more information.

Statistics
All monetary units are in Fornax Dollars (FND). Assume 1 FND = 1 SGD.
Population
Death: Estimated 700
Missing People: Estimated 2,000
People Displaced: Estimated 10 million
Homes Affected: Estimated 4 million
Properties and Damages
Cicone Delta Region: Estimated 35 billion
Lake Levitas Region: Estimated 20 billion
Bay of Sypogen*: Estimated 16 billion
Bay of Kelton^: Estimated 13 billion
Pearl Straits: Estimated 6.5 billion
Other Areas^: Estimated 4.5 billion
Total: Estimated 94 billion
* Including Xenian side of Sypogen
^ Not including Xenian side
Comparison
2010 Great Fornax Flood
Note: Ongoing
Deaths: Estimated 700
Damages: Estimated 94 million
2010 Cyclone Ului
Note: Costliest natural disaster with actual figures
Deaths: 273
Damages: 27.5 billion
2007 Cicone Flash Flood
Note: Deadliest natural disaster
Deaths: 814
Damages: 23.9 billion

International Aid
At the moment, Fornax have sufficient resources to help its people being displaced by the flood. Fornax have also sufficient monetary reserves to help the people of Fornax. However, there are insufficient number of rescue workers, humanitarian workers and medical personnels.

There are thousands of people still trapped in their homes in the Melanesian Range due to landslides. Also, thousands of other people are trapped in either their homes, in buildings or in their vehicles countrywide. Millions of people are either inside or are still making their way to Flood Shelters countrywide.

Medical personnels are also over-stressed by the huge number of patients they need to attend to, yet a large number of patients are still unattended. Flooding in hospitals make the situation worse and some of these medical personnels have to temporary stop working to help move patients to higher ground.

Rescue workers, humanitarian workers and medical personnels who will risk their lives to help and save thousands of people all around Fornax will be most welcome. Military personnels with a humanitarian or medical background are also most welcome. The Fornaxian Government have open its border to only accept rescue workers, humanitarian workers, medical personnels and military personnels.

The Fornaxian Government understands the concern of the Fornax Flu Pandemic and it will help these personnels to receive sufficient protection against the Fornax Flu. There are no full-prove protection yet, but some protection is better than none.

All information will be transfered onto the AIN Wiki soon. I will then use the AIN wiki media to update on the situation.