But rescuing people from a flood is not as simple as dispatching a boat or a chopper. It takes high levels of training and coordination for rescue teams to bring survivors to safety without endangering themselves. Here is how they do it.

The training

There are two basic types of floods:

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

? From September 27 to 30, heavy rains associated with Tropical Storm Nicole resulted in flash floods and landslides in all of Jamaica's 14 parishes, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. As of October 4, the tropical storm had killed 13 people, injured 27 individuals, displaced 114 others, and caused bridge collapses, road blockages, and other infrastructure damage, according to the Government of Jamaica (GoJ) Office of Disaster Preparedness

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

- Four named storms have made landfall in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries to date during the 2010 hurricane season, which lasts from May to November. In recent months, rainfall accumulations significantly above average have exacerbated the effects of the storms in some areas, while also leading to floods and landslides in areas previously unaffected during the hurricane season.

- In early September, USAID/OFDA provided assistance to Guatemala in response to heavy rains that resulted in floods

- CENTRAL AMERICA: Heavy rains caused damages and destruction in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama.

- SOUTH AMERICA: Deaths and increased number of respiratory infections due to extreme cold weather.

- PERU: Bubonic plague is a matter of concern in the country.

Most affected: the town of Santana do Mundaú, in Alagoas state. The city has been totally destroyed and will need to be rebuilt in another area, away from a riverbank, authorities said.

At least 72 persons have died and some 157,000 people are displaced in the flooding of Pernambuco and Alagoas states. Authorities have declared states of emergency in both regions.

Emergency description

Heavy tropical rains have struck the northeastern region of Brazil, severely affecting rural areas in the states of Pernambuco and Alagoas. According to the Civil Defense, the Mundaú River that runs across the affected area in the State of Alagoas has reached about 6 meters above the normal level, partially destroying 47 towns. In Pernambuco, 67 towns have been affected. A total of 72 people have died and 157,000 people are displaced in the region as a whole. Infrastructure has also been affected due to the destruction of bridges and roads. The

In Alagoas, four municipalities remain in a state of emergency and 15 are in a state of public calamity. More than 26,600 people have been left homeless and 47,897 have been temporarily dislocated.

In Pernambuco, there are 27 areas in a state of emergency and 12 in a state of public calamity. The number of

Dozens of towns in the states of Alagoas and Pernambuco, some of the poorest in Brazil, have been inundated and more than 1,000 people are missing following heavy rain.

The rising flood waters forced 100,000 people to flee their homes and tens of thousands are now homeless, with several towns cut off by the water.

Joao Martinez da Cruz, Tearfund's Country representative for Brazil, said reports he had received pointed to considerable