Flood Debris Quantification and Comparison Based on the Removal and Disposal Operation: Postdisaster Study of Beaumont, Texas Following Hurricane Harvey
Abstract
Accurate forecasts and estimates of disaster debris are critical for effective debris management planning. However, detailed postdisaster waste data to validate and improve debris predictions is often unavailable. In this study, a postdisaster waste dataset collected in Beaumont, Texas, following widespread flooding from Hurricane Harvey that included debris tonnages and coordinate locations of each debris removal in residential areas was investigated. The dataset was utilized to quantify the amount of debris produced, identify the factors that influenced debris generation in different areas of the city, and compare Beaumont debris tonnages to predictive models. The study found that the type of flooding (riverine versus urban) had the highest influence on debris generation. Riverine flooded areas generated twice the debris tonnage as urban flooded areas. Elevation appeared to influence debris generation when considered with the type of flooding. FEMA’s correlation for flooded personal property was within the same magnitude of debris quantities, while other methods significantly overpredicted debris quantities (up to one order of magnitude) due to their generality. However, they can be adapted for flood-generated debris. Urban flooding is an increasingly prevalent issue following a natural hazard and generates considerable amounts of debris, but is not addressed in current disaster management plans. Estimation methods that consider urban flooding should be developed.
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Data Availability Statement
Some data, models, or code that support the findings of this study, such as debris tonnage and volume data, code used in statistical analyses, and inputs for predictive model estimates, are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation through a Graduate Research Fellowship to Jasmine H. Bekkaye and through a RAPID grant (Award 1760718) that facilitated data collection. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The authors would like to acknowledge Jack Cadigan, Brian Harris, Murad Nazari, along with colleagues Anand Puppala and Surya Congress at Texas A&M University, for their assistance in conducting field work.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Natural Hazards Review
Volume 24 • Issue 4 • November 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 27, 2022
Accepted: Apr 10, 2023
Published online: Jun 19, 2023
Published in print: Nov 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Nov 19, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Comparative studies
- Debris
- Disaster risk management
- Disasters and hazards
- Domestic wastes
- Engineering fundamentals
- Environmental engineering
- Floods
- Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones
- Methodology (by type)
- Natural disasters
- Pollutants
- Research methods (by type)
- Solid wastes
- Waste management
- Wastes
- Water and water resources
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