Urban floods due to intense precipitation is a major problem in many developing countries, especially in Africa. Rainfall measurement using cellular communication networks is a cost effective method to monitor the heavy rainfall that cause these floods. The method is based on analyzing signal fluctuations due to rain between telecommunication antennas. Here we present simulation studies to test how rainfall measured by this method can help predicting floods in urban areas.

Rainfall-induced landslides cause significant damage and fatality worldwide, but we have few datasets constraining the impact of individual storms. We present and analyze 8 landslide inventories, with >150 to >150 00 landslides, comprehensively representing the landslide population caused by 8 storms from Asia and the Americas. We found that the total storm rainfall is a major control on total landsliding, landslide size, and that storms trigger landslides on less steep slopes than earthquakes.

Since 1950, the Niger River basin has overcome drastic changes. In Niamey city, the highest river levels and the longest flooded period ever recorded occurred in 2003, 2010, 2012 and 2013, with heavy casualties and property damage. The reasons for these changes, and the relative role of climate versus Land Use Land Cover changes are still debated and are investigated in this paper using observations and modelling. We conclude on the successive role of cover and then rainfall variability.