3D Visualization of Hurricane Storm Surge Impact on Urban Infrastructure.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Urban Planning
• Civil Engineering

Background:

• Climate change exacerbates extreme rainfall events, causing significant losses in coastal cities.
• Urban storm flood simulations are vital for emergency management and infrastructure protection.
• Visualizing complex 3D flood data for urban areas presents significant challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a 3D visualization of hurricane storm surge flooding impacts on Galveston, TX.
• To assess flood damage to individual residences and infrastructure under various storm conditions.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a proposed dike for future flood mitigation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized target detection to identify house door locations for damage assessment.
• Employed door inundation as a metric for quantifying potential flood damage.
• Integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) for modeling damage extent across different storm intensities.

Main Results:

• Estimated storm inundation levels for homes under varying storm scenarios.
• Categorized housing damages into three groups based on first-floor elevations.
• Visualized the protective efficacy of a proposed dike against storm surge and flooding.

Conclusions:

• The study demonstrates a novel approach to visualizing and quantifying flood damage in urban environments.
• The findings provide crucial data for urban planning and disaster preparedness in coastal regions.
• The proposed visualization framework and dike concept offer valuable insights for mitigating future flood risks.