Community Flood Risk and Infrastructure: Examining National Flood Impacts Using a High Precision Risk Assessment Tool

Abstract

Changing environmental conditions are driving worsening flood events, with consequences for counties, cities, towns, and local communities. To understand individual flood risk within this changing climate, local community resiliency and infrastructure impacts must also be considered. Past research has attempted to capture this but has faced several limitations. This study provides a nation-wide model of community flooding risk currently and in 30 years through the use of high resolution input data (parcel-level), multi-source flood hazard information (four major flood types), multi-return period hazard information (six return periods), operational threshold integration, and future facing risk. Risk is quantified here as the level of flooding relative to operational thresholds. This study finds that over the next 30 years, millions of additional properties will be at risk, as risk is expected to increase for residential properties by 10%, roads by 3%, commercial properties by 7%, critical infrastructure facilities by 6%, and social infrastructure facilities by 9%. Additionally, certain counties and cities persistently display risk patterns. A high-resolution model of community infrastructure flood risk is important for an understanding of community infrastructure risk and to serve as a comprehensive input for advancing future and related research.