This research aims to develop a large-scale locally relevant flood risk screening tool, that is, one capable of generating accurate probabilistic inundation maps quickly while still detecting localized nuisance-destructive flood potential. The CASCADE 2001 routing model is integrated with GIS to compare the predicted flood response to heavy rains at the watershed, subwatershed, and municipal levels. Therefore, the objective is to evaluate the impact of scale for determining flood risk in a community. The findings indicate that a watershed-level analysis captures most flooding. However, the flood prediction improves to match existing FEMA flood maps as drill-down occurs at the subwatershed and municipal scales. The drill-down modeling solution presented in this study provides the necessary degree of local relevance for excellent detection in developed areas because of the downscaling techniques and local infrastructure. This validated model framework supports the development and prioritization of protection plans that address flood resilience in the context of watershed master planning and the Community Rating System. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Flooding is a major threat to coastal and inland communities in the state of Florida. There are a variety of reasons for the increasing risk of flooding, such as hurricanes, torrential downpours, sea level rise, and storm surge/tides. This paper will focus on Nassau County, the most northeastern county in the state. While the area is affected by most of the aforementioned flood become more prominent over the years and will continue to impact the safety and well-being of coastal communities. In this context, planning for the future entails conducting multi-hazard analysis of risks posed by current and future storm events. This study undertakes a comprehensive analysis of flood risks in Nassau County, Florida, and examines current and future zoning and land use plans and buildings codes to provide science-based recommendations for addressing these risks. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (MURP)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

CASCADE 2001 is a multi-basin flood routing program used in areas of flat terrain. CASCADE was used for different situational elements including the Florida Keys, Broward County, and Pensacola. The goal for this screening tool was to create flood inundation watershed mapping for the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). After showing the risks of flooding that could occur in Florida, the thought of how useful CASCADE can be in other environmental conditions. The Rocky Mountains were selected to show the effect of flood inundation that can be mirrored in an opposite condition from prior experimentation. We chose to test this program in an area with mountainous terrain like the region of Grand Lake, Colorado. Rainfall, in collaboration with groundwater tables, ground soil storage and topography have the most effect on the CASCADE modeling program. Effects that were not used in the Florida models but added for Grand Lake included snowmelt. Snowmelt in the Rocky Mountains affects the flow of the Colorado River causing excess discharge that flows throughout the valleys and into Shadow Mountain Lake. WINSRM was a recommended model that could be used to simulate snowmelt during different months of Colorado’s spring season. The effects of snowmelt and rainfall flooding can be compared in relation to each other. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Coastal basins are particularly vulnerable to flood under multivariable conditions, such as heavy precipitation, high sea levels, tropical storm surge and rainstorms. These conditions should be considered to assess and manage flood risk better. In this research, a means to develop a watershed level screening tool to identify areas with potential for flooding due to high tides, rainfall events, sea level rise and combinations of all the cases was developed and compared to FEMA maps. The goal of the screening tool is part of a larger effort with respect to watersheds funded by the Florida Division of Emergency Management to enable local communities to reduce flood insurance costs through mitigation and resiliency efforts by means of risk assessment was undertaken. For this purpose, readily available data on topography, ground, and surface water elevations, tidal data for coastal communities, soils, and rainfall data were collected from the South Florida water management district, USGS, and NOAA. Firstly, using elevation data, soil data, and the Spatial Analyst tool, Arc-Hydro tools of ArcGIS, the drainage network, and soil storage capacity were determined. These results and rainfall data acted as inputs for Cascade to calculate the headwater height for all the cases for the selected basins. Using these headwater heights, several different probabilities of inundation were determined. This study will help manage and mitigate vulnerable areas and act as a tool to permit local agencies to develop means to address high-risk properties. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (MS)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Flooding can impact a community's social, cultural, environmental, and economic resources; therefore, generating a sound, science-based, long-term decision to improve resiliency is critical for future prosperity and growth. Developing watershed management plans is essential in assisting local communities in reducing flood insurance costs through mitigation and resiliency efforts. This effort, specifically for this report, will focus on the Pensacola Watershed Basin and the development procedures to assess the risks of flooding and storm surges. Utilizing readily available data on topography, ground surface water elevations, tidal data for coastal communities, open space, and rainfall, a framework was developed to facilitate flood risk assessments under various conditions. Such knowledge allows communities to properly prepare and prevent major damages during times of high flooding, such as tropical storms and hurricanes. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (MURP)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Flood risk analysis is the instrument for utility managers to create a sound strategy and adaptation plans into their communities. Local municipalities are being continuously challenged every year by the impacts of climate change. The need to develop a screening tool to analyze watersheds and find risk areas is the goal of this research. Open source high-quality data is allowing climate scientists to create innovative ways to study watersheds when performing spatial analysis for inundation areas. The development procedures for a screening tool involved combining readily available data on topography, groundwater, surface water, tidal information for coastal communities, soils, open space, and rainfall data. All efforts to help develop a planning level framework that allows investigators to target the optimal set of outcomes for a given community. This framework appears to be viable across cities that may be inundated with water due to sea-level rise, rainfall, runoff upstream, and other natural events. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Flood events have caused detrimental impacts to humans' lives and anthropogenic climate change is anticipated to exacerbate the impact. It has been recognized that a long-term planning through risk-based optimization of flood defence will lead to a cost-effective solution for managing flood risk, but the prevailing assumption of stationarity may lead to an erroneous solution. In attempt to investigate the potential impact of the uncertain underlying statistical characteristics of extreme flow series to flood protection decisions, this research explores risk-based flood protection decisions in the context of climatic variability and change. In particular, the implications of persistence series and nonstationarity were investigated through hypothetical and real case studies. Monte Carlo simulation approach was adopted to capture the uncertainty due to the natural variability. For persistence model, AR(1) was integrated with the GEV model to simulate extreme flow series with persistence. To test the effects of nonstationary, GEV models with a linear location parameter and time as covariate were adopted. Rational decision makers' behaviours were simulated through a designed decision analysis framework. One of the main findings from the research is that the traditional stationary assumption should remain the basic assumption due to insignificant difference of the decisions' economic performance. However, exploration of the nonstationarity assumption enabled identification of options that are robust to climate uncertainties. It is also found that optimized protection of combined measures of flood defence and property-level protection may provide a cost-effective solution for local flood protection. Overall, the simulation and case studies enlighten practitioners and decision makers with new evidence, and may guide to practical enhancement of long term flood risk management decision making.

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This study aims to explore the possibility of environmental justice as social consensus and an institutional framework to reduce socioeconomic differences in natural disaster vulnerability through a case study of flood risk management in Johnson Creek, Portland, Oregon. First, by analyzing institutions, policies, and currently ongoing flood mitigation projects, this study investigates how federal and local governments are addressing and responding to current flood problems. Second, through flood expert surveys and GIS spatial analysis, this study examines various factors that contribute to communities' susceptibility to flood risks, and whether there exist spatial differences between physically and socioeconomically vulnerable communities within the Johnson Creek area. Lastly, this study conducted comparative analysis of perceptions using Q-methodology to explore the diverse range of meanings and understandings that flood experts and urban practitioners construct in relation to the dilemmas of environmental justice in flood mitigation practice. The findings of this study indicate that institutional blind spots and barriers in natural disaster mitigation policy and planning can be generated by flood experts' and urban practitioners' different understandings of vulnerability, different interpretations of human rights, and different perspectives on the extent of institutional responsibility to assist socioeconomically vulnerable populations.