Hazard nomograms associated to flood maps

ABSTRACT

Identification of flood hazards allows planning the cities layout or flood protection infrastructure appropriately. Flood maps showing flow depths and velocities are not enough to assess hazards to people, because such hazards depend on factors producing equilibrium loss in pedestrians crossing flooded streets. An experimental facility was used considering typical street geometry in Mexico. Volunteers with the typical physical characteristics of Mexicans were subject to different combinations of flow depth and velocity. A hazard nomogram is developed through extensive experimental work, representing three levels to characterize hazard criteria for persons during urban floods. Previous works associated with the construction of nomograms had not been validated through extensive experimental work. Hazard maps identifying zones classified in relation to hazard levels are based on nomograms. These maps allow for guiding public policies related to extreme meteorological events. The resulting nomogram is applied to define hazard maps in the city of Acapulco.

KEYWORDS:

• Depth-velocity nomogram
• hazard level
• urban flooding
• flood hazard maps
• human stability during floods

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).