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Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework
Published on: July 24, 2016
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A data-driven spatial approach to characterize the flood hazard
Rubayet Bin Mostafiz1,2,3, Md Adilur Rahim3,4, Carol J Friedland3
1Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, College of the Coast and Environment, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States.
Frontiers in Big Data
|December 29, 2022
Summary
This study introduces a new method to estimate flood hazards both inside and outside the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). It enables better flood risk assessment for all properties, improving planning and resilience.
Area of Science:
- Hydrology and Water Resource Management
- Geospatial Analysis and Flood Modeling
Background:
- Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) flood grids quantify risk within areas of 1% annual chance flooding.
- Flood risk outside SFHAs remains unquantified due to a lack of higher return-period flood grids.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for estimating flood hazards for areas both inside and outside the SFHA.
- To improve flood risk assessment and decision-making for property owners and planners.
Main Methods:
- Utilized existing Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) surfaces.
- Employed the Gumbel extreme value distribution to project extreme flood event elevations.
- Applied spatial interpolation techniques to estimate flood hazards in unmapped areas.
Main Results:
- Successfully estimated flood hazards for areas within and beyond the SFHA.
- Provided a framework for quantifying flood risk across diverse geographic zones.
- Demonstrated the utility of existing AEP data for enhanced flood hazard mapping.
Conclusions:
- The proposed method enhances flood risk assessment for properties inside and outside SFHAs.
- Improved flood risk data supports better decisions on flood insurance, mitigation, and resilience planning.
- Addresses a critical gap in quantifying flood hazards for comprehensive natural hazard management.
Keywords:
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)Gumbel extreme value distributionSpecial Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)annual exceedance probability (AEP)flood riskshaded X Zonespatial interpolation techniquesunshaded X ZoneMore Related Videos
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