Prevention and Treatment of Natural Disasters

Review

Enhancing the UAE’s Disaster Resilience: AI and Flood Risk Assessment for Climate‑Driven Challenges

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https://doi.org/10.54963/ptnd.v4i2.1546
Alhantoubi, F., & Papadaki, M. (2025). Enhancing the UAE’s Disaster Resilience: AI and Flood Risk Assessment for Climate‑Driven Challenges. Prevention and Treatment of Natural Disasters, 4(2), 47–60. https://doi.org/10.54963/ptnd.v4i2.1546
Volume 4 Issue 2: December 2025
Copyright (c) 2025 Fatmah Alhantoubi, Maria Papadaki
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Authors

  • Fatmah Alhantoubi

    Project Management College, The British University in Dubai, Dubai P.O. Box 345015, United Arab Emirates
  • Maria Papadaki

    Project Management College, The British University in Dubai, Dubai P.O. Box 345015, United Arab Emirates

Received: 22 August 2025; Revised: 14 November 2025; Accepted: 17 November 2025; Published: 5 December 2025

Floods are one of the most serious natural disasters affecting both cities and rural areas. In the UAE, recent heavy rains and floods, especially in Fujairah, have shown the urgent need for better risk management. This study looks at how new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and remote sensing can help predict and reduce the impact of floods. The paper is based on a qualitative review of recent research and reports between 2015 and 2024, focusing on how these tools improve early warning systems, risk maps, and decision-making and capture social and institutional dimensions of disasters, offering insights into how the community perceives, prepares for, and responds to risk. Results suggest that AI has the potential to make forecasts faster and more accurately than traditional methods, while GIS and remote sensing support better planning and monitoring. At the same time, challenges remain in data availability, coordination between agencies, and public awareness. Drawing from the UAE experience and international examples, the paper suggests four main actions: building a national flood risk database, improving cooperation between institutions, training experts in AI and GIS, and raising community awareness. These steps can help the UAE become stronger and set an example for the region in using technology for disaster resilience.

Keywords:

Climate Change Innovations Geographic Information System (GIS) Remote Sensing Risk Assessment

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