ABSTRACT
Early warning of a storm is based primarily on weather forecasts from the US Weather Bureau. Such warning may come directly or indirectly to those agencies responsible for storm management. In general, storm forecasting has improved over time, especially in recent years with the advent of weather satellites. Flood forecasting has also improved especially with the introduction of ‘real-time flood warning systems’ based on radio transmissions to local centres of precipitation data and computer-based predictions of peak stream flows (Bartfield & Taylor 1981). If the forecasts are made early enough, agencies and private citizens are able to take precautionary measures and to activate emergency programmes. Whether such responses are adequate is another matter.
