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Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States (2019) / Chapter Skim
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Summary
Pages 1-8

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
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From page 1...
... helps communities with flood preparation, mitigation, response, and recovery. It carries out these functions by analyzing and mapping flood hazard, providing federal flood insurance, and disbursing grants and loans to individuals and businesses after presidentially declared flood disasters.
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From page 2...
... Each of the case study areas has a unique urban flood hazard defined by its natural environment (e.g., land cover, topography, soil type, and rainfall) , history and pattern of land development (e.g., sprawling or dense)
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From page 3...
... Stakeholders in all four metropolitan areas lamented a lack of data on urban flood hazard, flooding at local scales, or the economic costs and social impacts of urban flooding. In the absence of better information, managers and residents are using FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Maps to estimate where flooding will occur in urban areas.
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From page 4...
... Across the United States, FEMA data show that flood losses are greatest in heavily populated coastal counties, driven by coastal storm-induced flooding. For example, the significant flood events of Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy drove the urban flood losses for New York and Louisiana, which received payouts, loans, and grants on the order of $10 billion from 2004 to 2014.
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From page 5...
... would help improve urban flood risk assessments. Data collection and analysis could also reveal ways to build effective social networks or to support civic organizations that help residents increase their social agency, capacity, and capability for adjusting to flood hazards.
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From page 6...
... . Urban flood risk maps also need to portray other information, such as land cover, the distribution of socially vulnerable and other populations, the location of previous flood problems, and the age, design capacity, and condition of storm water networks, drainage systems, and roads.
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From page 7...
... Further, flood problems are likely to get worse with continued urban development and population growth in urban areas, as well as with climate change, which is increasing sea-level rise and the frequency of heavy precipitation events. Multiagency and cross-jurisdictional efforts are needed to analyze urban flood hazard, advance understanding of social impacts, and communicate urban flood hazard and flood risk.
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Key Terms

  • urban flood
  • flood hazard
  • flood risk
  • storm water
  • flood losses

  • risk assessments
  • flood events
  • federal resources
  • flood insurance
  • social impacts

  • maricopa county
  • vulnerable populations
  • historical flood
  • managing urban
  • urban floods

  • local government
  • fema data
  • socially vulnerable
  • historical estimates
  • harris county

  • federal flood
  • national flood
  • declared flood
  • flood hazards
  • flood warning

  • flood preparation
  • communicate urban
  • communicating urban
  • analyzing urban
  • manage urban


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