Implementation of an IoT Prototype for Real-Time Flood Monitoring and Response Coordination

Abstract

Floods remain one of the most catastrophic natural hazards globally, with disproportionate impacts in under-resourced and infrastructural weak regions. This paper presents the design, development, and evaluation of a low-cost, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled prototype for real-time flood monitoring and coordinated response, tailored specifically for deployment in rural Zambia. The system architecture integrates the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor and ESP32 microcontroller to monitor rising water levels with centimeter-level accuracy. A custom backend, built using Node.js, processes the sensor data and triggers event-based notifications through email alerts. Simultaneously, data are relayed to a lightweight, local web dashboard for visualization and audit purposes. Emphasis was placed on affordability, modularity, offline tolerance, and low power consumption to meet the unique constraints of the target deployment context. Controlled testing scenarios demonstrated reliable performance, with average latency for alerts remaining below six seconds and a sensor accuracy variance within ±1.5 cm. Usability assessments based on the System Usability Scale (SUS) yielded a score of 88.2, affirming the system’s accessibility to non-expert users. The proposed solution holds significant promise as an early warning system (EWS) component in flood-prone, low-resource regions, with potential for integration into broader community-based disaster risk reduction strategies.