Flash
Floodcan it happen on a sunny day?
A short animated film about the misconceptions that make flash floods deadly, and the one thing to do when the alert arrives.
A flood that gives almost no warning.
On the night of 3–4 October 2023, the South Lhonak glacial lake in North Sikkim burst. The flood ran down the Teesta valley and destroyed the Teesta III dam at Chungthang, and more than 90 people lost their lives.
This project grew out of research into that flood and into riverine and flash-flood data for India. The goal: take official flood-safety guidance and turn it into a story short enough to finish and clear enough to remember when an alert actually buzzes.
Four myths, answered in a minute.
The script is built around what people get wrong. Each myth gets one plain line from Geeta, shown here in the film's own subtitles.
So next time you get an alert, get to the highest area near you.
One who ignores the alert. One who knows better.
Two original characters carry the whole film: a contrast the audience can feel without being lectured.
Out by the river filming a vlog on a bright day. The phone buzzes with a flood alert and he shrugs it off, because there isn't a cloud in the sky.
Life jacket on, ready to act. She breaks the fourth wall to explain the myths, and in the end she's the one who carries Manoj to safety.
Eight beats, planned in pencil first.
Every shot was boarded and timed as a rough animatic before any colour went down, so the film could stay just over a minute without losing the message.
A bright morning over the valley.
Manoj films himself by the river.
His phone buzzes with a flood warning.
The sun is out. He ignores it.
The river rises faster than anyone expects.
Geeta steps in and answers them one by one.
Alerts come from people analysing the event.
Go to the highest ground near you.
Rough motion tests in pencil, used to check timing and expressions before the final animation.
Painted places, flat people.
Backgrounds are soft and painterly, like a Himalayan morning. The characters are flat and outlined, so they always read clearly against them.
Clear skies aren't a guarantee. When the alert comes, climb.
The film closes by pointing viewers to India's National Disaster Management Authority for more on flood preparedness.