More than 75% of those flooded properties, some in urban areas, had no flood insurance to pay for their losses. In Hurricane Harvey, the estimated insured losses were $30 billion but the overall value of damage was nearly three times greater, at an estimated $85 billion. The flood protection gap, which is the difference between the insured and the actual value of flood damage, has been apparent after recent catastrophes. This phenomenon is greatly affecting businesses and homes to the point that it should become a part of the conversation when it comes to insurance, to cover the losses that occur.
“There are hotspots like Miami, Palm Beach, and Houston of urban flooding but this is something that needs to be addressed at all scales starting from the national level down to the local.” Challenges in Reducing Flood Risk “To me, the number one surprising result was that 85% of respondents experienced urban flooding outside of the FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), which means this is a problem and it’s growing nationwide,” said Brody. It found that 83% had experienced urban flooding and 46% indicated it has occurred in numerous or most areas. In a recent episode of the Florida Insurance Roundup podcast, Bogdanoff and Brody discussed the study, which included a survey of more than 400 flood control professionals across all 50 states. You now have to wait for the tides to go down before that rainwater is going to go out,” Bogdanoff said. “The challenge comes if you end up with a high-tide sunny day flooding example and instead of it being a sunny day, it’s a rainy day. He said some storm water systems, which are meant for collecting and sending rainwater out to sea are instead becoming conduits for saltwater to back up into communities during this period of sea level rise. Alec Bogdanoff is principal scientist and co-founder of Brizaga, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based firm that assists businesses and communities in becoming more resilient to the effects of sea level rise and long-term environmental changes. The study looked primarily at rainfall, but urban flooding can occur with tidal events, too, including high-tide or “sunny day” flooding, as seen in some South Florida communities. history, exposed a lot of underlying conditions of urban flooding, especially in Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in the country. He noted that 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, one of the largest flood events in U.S. FEMA’s models, which are all based on stream channels, don’t account for these growing areas of risk and impact,” Brody said. They’re either exacerbating or entirely creating the situation of risk.
“These features of the built environment are creating the flood hazard and the associated impact. “It’s bringing flood impacts to unexpected areas, sometimes miles outside of the FEMA-designated 100-year flood plain.” The Rise in Urban Floodingīrody’s joint study with the University of Maryland titled, “ The Growing Threat of Urban Flooding: A National Challenge 2018,” highlights neighborhoods that were miles away from known flood risk zones but were surrounded by man-made barriers, such as roads, railroad tracks, and sound walls, referred to as “built environment barriers.”
It occurs mostly in high growth areas, where development brings rain impervious surfaces, such as roads, driveways, and parking lots, which change the natural drainage pattern of the land.
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