Chapter 29 - Flood risk assessment of storage tanks in the Port of Rotterdam

Abstract

My research goal for the PIRE program was to understand and quantify the flood risk to above ground storage tanks (AST) in the Port of Rotterdam since consequences of AST failure can be catastrophic for the surrounding environment and communities, and the economy. Furthermore, I also wanted to understand the flood risk mitigation approach adopted in the Netherlands to gain insights on how AST flood risk can be managed in the Netherlands. For hurricane risk assessment of ASTs, I used physics-based fragility to estimate the vulnerability of ASTs subjected to inundation depths corresponding to different return periods. The NSF PIRE program components such as meetings with experts and stakeholders helped me understand the flood risk management philosophy in the Netherlands. Site visits and other interactions with experts and students from various disciplines also helped me broaden my perspective on flood risk management using a holistic multidisciplinary approach.