Open AccessA rapid flood risk assessment method for response operations and nonsubject‐matter‐expert community planning
Author(s) -
Longenecker Herbert E.,
Graeden Ellie,
Kluskiewicz Dan,
Zuzak Casey,
Rozelle Jesse,
Aziz Ajmal L.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of flood risk management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.049
H-Index - 36
ISSN - 1753-318X
DOI - 10.1111/jfr3.12579
Subject(s) - flood myth , flooding (psychology) , environmental science , coastal flood , hydrology (agriculture) , floodplain , environmental resource management , water resource management , geography , climate change , cartography , geology , sea level rise , psychology , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , psychotherapist
Flood risk planning and emergency response at community levels rely on fast access to accurate inundation models that identify geographic areas, assets, and populations that may be flooded. However, limited flood modelling resources are available to support these events and activities. We present a computationally‐efficient flood model for facilitating rapid risk analysis across a wide range of scenarios and decision support to operational, crisis action, local flood‐fight, and community planning efforts. Our flood depth regression method converts publicly‐available river stage heights to flood depths, then downscales the depths from gage locations onto high resolution National Hydrography Dataset flowlines and estimates areas and depths of flooding by subtraction of the National Elevation Dataset from modelled water surface elevations. We demonstrate proof‐of‐principle analyses for historic 2009 Red River of the North flooding in the United States, achieving comprehensive mainstem flood estimation for the length of the river and depth accuracy of 1.4 ft (0.4 m) compared to gage observations, remote sensing, and higher‐resolution hydrologic models. We also demonstrate the utility of the method to inform planning and response decisions in preparation for flooding in a companion scenario for Yerington, Nevada, and call for further research and operationalization of riverine inundation mapping techniques.