This research presents a web-based decision support framework called Mitigation and Damage Assessment System (MiDAS) that analyzes flood risk impacts and mitigation strategies at the community and property-level with the goal of informing communities on the consequences of flooding and mitigation alternatives and encouraging them to participate in the community rating system. The framework utilizes regulatory flood inundation maps, damage functions, property information, scenario-based climate projections, and mitigation inputs and guidelines from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). It will help users select the appropriate flood mitigation measures based on various characteristics (e.g., foundation type, occupancy, square footage) and provide cost estimates for implementing measures. The system also provides a decision tree algorithm for analyzing and representing the mitigation decision by reviewing existing guidelines (e.g., FEMA, USACE). We analyzed the community-level mitigation for three major cities in Eastern Iowa (Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, and Waterloo) and found certain measures (e.g., wet/dry floodproofing) are cost effective for community-level mitigation. Implementation of mitigation measures can reduce the property's vulnerability and improve the response to a flooding event.
Related Articles
- Alabbad, Y., Yildirim, E., & Demir, I. (2022). Flood mitigation data analytics and decision support framework: Iowa Middle Cedar Watershed case study. Science of The Total Environment, 152768. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152768)
An example of generating detailed flood damage and mitigation information at the property-level in the MiDAS.
The decision guidance tool in the MiDAS.
