Abstract
Recent extreme rainfall events produced severe flooding across North Carolina’s Coastal Plain, revealing deep vulnerabilities in many communities. Climate change is expected to exacerbate these problems by further increasing rainfall intensity and the frequency of extreme rainfall events. Due to the risks posed by these changing rainfall patterns, a shift in the approach to infrastructure planning and management is needed for many floodprone communities, particularly in regard to managing streams and floodplains in urban areas. This study proposes a framework for systematically evaluating stream restoration in combination with engineered improvements to culvert and bridge crossings to identify and optimize options for mitigating extreme events in urban areas. To illustrate the methodology, extensive hydraulic modeling was conducted to test four different strategies for reducing flooding along a channelized and armored stream, Big Ditch, located in Goldsboro, North Carolina, USA. The results indicate that neither floodplain restoration nor infrastructure modification alone could alleviate flooding along Big Ditch. Rather, a combination approach would be required to mitigate flooding, which could result in substantial benefits for storms in excess of the 100-year event. The results suggest that shifting to a multi-faceted approach to improve resiliency to extreme events could improve public safety and reduce future damages due to flooding.
Highlights
Hurricanes Matthew and Florence revealed deep vulnerabilities to flooding in North Carolina’sCoastal Plain communities
The first step of the analyses evaluates the extent to which the road crossings contribute to flooding
The addition of stream restoration to the flood mitigation strategy can facilitate opportunities for incorporating community greenspace and trails [34]. This planning-level analysis and modeling effort were conducted to estimate the relative drivers of flooding and to determine the maximum possible flood reduction during extreme events that can be achieved through stream restoration
Summary
Hurricanes Matthew and Florence revealed deep vulnerabilities to flooding in North Carolina’sCoastal Plain communities. Hundreds of roads were closed due to inundation or washouts and many communities were isolated by road closures. In addition to the spate of recent extreme rainfall events, the intensity of heavy rainfall is increasing in the southeastern U.S [3]. This trend towards more intense rainfall and larger storms is expected to continue as a warmer atmosphere will hold more moisture [4]. More intense rainfall events will likely result in more frequent nuisance and flash flooding
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
