Effect of Sea-Level Rise on Hurricane-Induced Compound Flooding and Economic Damages
Publication: World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2024
ABSTRACT
Tropical cyclone (TC) flooding has caused devastation for coastal communities in recent years, leading to loss of life and damage to homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure. The frequency and severity of compound flooding (inundation generated by the interaction of multiple flood drivers) associated with TCs are projected to increase in the future due to sea-level rise (SLR). However, the extent to which TC-driven compound flooding has been altered in response to historical sea-level rise remains uncertain. Here, we applied a coupled coastal-fluvial-pluvial hydrodynamic model (Delft3D-FM) to investigate the impact of SLR on compound flooding during Hurricane Harvey in the Sabine-Neches Estuary in Southeast Texas. We surveyed the impact of historical SLR since 1920 on compound flooding patterns in waterways. Additionally, we investigated whether the linear superposition of forcing is an accurate substitute for compound flood modeling, utilizing flood drivers simultaneously. Finally, we calculated damages during these TCs using depth-damage functions. The results indicated that SLR can shift the location of the transition zone where rainfall-runoff and storm surge interact. Linear superposition of water levels from individual flood drivers can overpredict the actual flooding. SLR increased the overall building damages in the region by $23.5 million, affecting an additional 120 structures (81% residential), with 33% of these damages occurring in the Neches River floodplain. The findings of this paper demonstrate the influence of historical SLR on TC flood damages and highlight the need to incorporate future SLR projections into floodplain management and adaptation planning.
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Published In
World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2024
Pages: 71 - 79
History
Published online: May 16, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Bodies of water (by type)
- Construction engineering
- Construction management
- Disaster risk management
- Disasters and hazards
- Driver behavior
- Engineering fundamentals
- Flood frequency
- Floods
- Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones
- Infrastructure
- Linear functions
- Mathematical functions
- Mathematics
- Natural disasters
- Project management
- Sea level
- Seas and oceans
- Traffic engineering
- Transportation engineering
- Water and water resources
- Water management
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