Flash floods annually overwhelm both the rice fields and management skills of farmers who have to keep the crop viable. Although rice is suited for flooded conditions, modern semidwarf varieties now popularly adopted by farmers cannot withstand complete submergence for more than one week, which commonly happens over more than 22 ha in South and Southeast Asia. Crop failure is most likely to occur when submergence occurs at the early growth stage. The main research challenge, then, is to help farmers establish a robust crop that can withstand submergence, as well as attain good recovery to maintain respectable yield after floodwaters subside. Researchers' two-pronged approach is to, first, develop submergence-tolerant varieties acceptable to farmers, and second, develop farm management practices that enhance the genetic expression of tolerance in these varieties.