Assimilation of Post-Event Site Investigations into Ongoing Coastal Flood Hazard Studies for New England

For flood prone communities in the U.S., the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) prepares and issues detailed flood hazard assessments. Although it is not uncommon for an updated assessment to be initiated in response to a significant flooding event (e.g. Hurricane Katrina), it is rare for an event to occur in the midst of an ongoing flood hazard study. Between April 15 and 18, 2007 a moderate extra-tropical storm (the Patriots' Day Storm) affected large portions of the New England shoreline. Concurrently, FEMA Flood Insurance Studies (FIS) were being updated for several coastal communities in Maine and Massachusetts. Shortly after the Patriots' Day Storm, two-person teams of engineers performed site investigations of the affected areas. The purpose of these activities was to identify areas of damage and storm water inundation due to the storm. The data were used to verify modeling decisions made during the ongoing flood hazard studies.