Main Participants: HE Bingshun, LIU Ronghua, LI Qing, CHEN Yao, TU Yong

China was and remains one of the countries most stricken by floods and droughts. Flood and drought management has been a national priority for which the public safety and national prosperity are at stake. To prevent and address flood risks and ensure the safety of lives and property, the key is to improve the public flood prevention awareness, proactive risk aversion and emergency response capabilities through knowledge dissemination and education. Teenagers are the priority target group for promoting popular science and education. Meanwhile, community residents and other people without relevant knowledge reserves are considered. The Guidance for Flood Disaster Avoidance and Self-Rescue balances the touch of education (creating influence), entertainment (striking up interest) and reasoning (building credibility), and focuses on imparting personal risk-avoidance and self-rescue skills in the face of flash floods, urban inundation, and typhoon disasters. The ultimate goal is to guide the public to respect nature and avoid risks in an appropriate manner.

·   Easy-to-understand contents: the basic knowledge of flood disasters, prevention measures and self-rescue and mutual rescue tips and methods;

·   Rich and expanded knowledge points: interdisciplinary knowledge covering meteorology and hydrology, and facts about river systems, etc. Organized in an informative, engaging, and practical manner;

·   Complete knowledge system: cultivating the knowledge of risk avoidance and self-rescue through easy-to-understand language, and awakening readers' perception of risks and proactive risk avoidance;

·   Knowledge-packed: Teenagers are the priority target group for promoting popular science and education, and are at an important stage of life when their views of the world, life values, and propositions take form. Cultivating their behavior habits and mindsets plays an important role in improving national general literacy. Meanwhile, the target group has been expanded to cover the community residents and other people without relevant knowledge reserves. The communities hence can improve flood disaster prevention education in a more professional and informed manner.

·   Scientific: The pros and cons of floods are analyzed with examples with the knowledge of hydrology, meteorology, and river systems integrated in the elaboration, and risk avoidance and self rescue measures are introduced in consideration of different situations and conditions.

·   Practical: flood scenes that mimic the real-life situation are selected to help readers better relate to reality. The knowledge of flood disaster avoidance and self-rescue is introduced in an easy and concise way through pictures, questions and answers, cases, knowledge classes, etc.;

·   Up-to-date: This Guidance fully embodies the concept of "people and life first", and transfers the knowledge of risk avoidance in flash floods and typhoons or in cases like cars wading through floodwater to teenagers and community residents. The book is well recognized by readers from the feedback collected thus far.

·   Artistic: Through hand-painted pictures, photos, cartoon images and other means of expression, both scientific knowledge and practical life-saving tips are perfectly explained in the book. With its easy-to-understand, interesting and educational contents and illustrating pictures, the Guidance effectively helps teenagers and community residents absorb the relevant knowledge.

The Guidance has been widely read in many primary and secondary schools and communities in Hebei, Chongqing, Qinghai, Ningxia and other provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), and have been well received by the masses, teachers and students alike. It has further promoted the introduction of knowledge books into schools, districts and communities, consolidated the attention of families and the society to flood disaster prevention in a trickling-down manner, and effectively improved the society's understanding on flood disasters. In 2021, in assisting the Flood and Drought Disaster Prevention Department of the Ministry of Water Resources to carry out the education campaign "me for my people", the books have been given to grassroots cadres and masses, effectively helping with improving their risk avoidance capabilities.

Figure 1 Cover

Figure 2 one inner page on determining the best escape route in the face of a flash flood event

Figure 3 In the education campaign "me for my people", the Flood and Drought Disaster Prevention Department donating the Guidance to Shapotou District Water Affairs Bureau

Figure 4 News about the donation on the official website of the Ministry of Water Resources