The challenge of forecasting impacts of flash floods: test of a simplified hydraulic approach and validation based on insurance claim data

Up to now, flash flood monitoring and forecasting systems, based on rainfall radar measurements and distributed rainfall–runoff models, generally aimed at estimating flood magnitudes – typically discharges or return periods – at selected river cross sections. The approach presented here goes one...

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Main Authors: G. Le Bihan, O. Payrastre, E. Gaume, D. Moncoulon, F. Pons
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2017-11-01
Series:Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
Online Access:https://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/21/5911/2017/hess-21-5911-2017.pdf
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author G. Le Bihan
O. Payrastre
E. Gaume
D. Moncoulon
F. Pons
author_facet G. Le Bihan
O. Payrastre
E. Gaume
D. Moncoulon
F. Pons
author_sort G. Le Bihan
collection DOAJ
description Up to now, flash flood monitoring and forecasting systems, based on rainfall radar measurements and distributed rainfall–runoff models, generally aimed at estimating flood magnitudes – typically discharges or return periods – at selected river cross sections. The approach presented here goes one step further by proposing an integrated forecasting chain for the direct assessment of flash flood possible impacts on inhabited areas (number of buildings at risk in the presented case studies). The proposed approach includes, in addition to a distributed rainfall–runoff model, an automatic hydraulic method suited for the computation of flood extent maps on a dense river network and over large territories. The resulting catalogue of flood extent maps is then combined with land use data to build a flood impact curve for each considered river reach, i.e. the number of inundated buildings versus discharge. These curves are finally used to compute estimated impacts based on forecasted discharges. The approach has been extensively tested in the regions of Alès and Draguignan, located in the south of France, where well-documented major flash floods recently occurred. The article presents two types of validation results. First, the automatically computed flood extent maps and corresponding water levels are tested against rating curves at available river gauging stations as well as against local reference or observed flood extent maps. Second, a rich and comprehensive insurance claim database is used to evaluate the relevance of the estimated impacts for some recent major floods.
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spelling doaj.art-01012633388d4ad5851da45aead4688a2022-12-21T19:01:58ZengCopernicus PublicationsHydrology and Earth System Sciences1027-56061607-79382017-11-01215911592810.5194/hess-21-5911-2017The challenge of forecasting impacts of flash floods: test of a simplified hydraulic approach and validation based on insurance claim dataG. Le Bihan0O. Payrastre1E. Gaume2D. Moncoulon3F. Pons4IFSTTAR, GERS, EE, F-44344 Bouguenais, FranceIFSTTAR, GERS, EE, F-44344 Bouguenais, FranceIFSTTAR, GERS, EE, F-44344 Bouguenais, FranceCCR, 157 boulevard Haussmann, 75008 Paris, FranceCerema, Direction Méditerranée, 30 rue Albert Einstein, F-13593 Aix-en-Provence, FranceUp to now, flash flood monitoring and forecasting systems, based on rainfall radar measurements and distributed rainfall–runoff models, generally aimed at estimating flood magnitudes – typically discharges or return periods – at selected river cross sections. The approach presented here goes one step further by proposing an integrated forecasting chain for the direct assessment of flash flood possible impacts on inhabited areas (number of buildings at risk in the presented case studies). The proposed approach includes, in addition to a distributed rainfall–runoff model, an automatic hydraulic method suited for the computation of flood extent maps on a dense river network and over large territories. The resulting catalogue of flood extent maps is then combined with land use data to build a flood impact curve for each considered river reach, i.e. the number of inundated buildings versus discharge. These curves are finally used to compute estimated impacts based on forecasted discharges. The approach has been extensively tested in the regions of Alès and Draguignan, located in the south of France, where well-documented major flash floods recently occurred. The article presents two types of validation results. First, the automatically computed flood extent maps and corresponding water levels are tested against rating curves at available river gauging stations as well as against local reference or observed flood extent maps. Second, a rich and comprehensive insurance claim database is used to evaluate the relevance of the estimated impacts for some recent major floods.https://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/21/5911/2017/hess-21-5911-2017.pdf
spellingShingle G. Le Bihan
O. Payrastre
E. Gaume
D. Moncoulon
F. Pons
The challenge of forecasting impacts of flash floods: test of a simplified hydraulic approach and validation based on insurance claim data
Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
title The challenge of forecasting impacts of flash floods: test of a simplified hydraulic approach and validation based on insurance claim data
title_full The challenge of forecasting impacts of flash floods: test of a simplified hydraulic approach and validation based on insurance claim data
title_fullStr The challenge of forecasting impacts of flash floods: test of a simplified hydraulic approach and validation based on insurance claim data
title_full_unstemmed The challenge of forecasting impacts of flash floods: test of a simplified hydraulic approach and validation based on insurance claim data
title_short The challenge of forecasting impacts of flash floods: test of a simplified hydraulic approach and validation based on insurance claim data
title_sort challenge of forecasting impacts of flash floods test of a simplified hydraulic approach and validation based on insurance claim data
url https://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/21/5911/2017/hess-21-5911-2017.pdf
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