Using HAZUS-MH and HEC-RAS to Evaluate Real World Flooding Events in the Upper Alabama River Watershed

摘要

The Upper Alabama River watershed lies in south central Alabama, encompassing eight counties and around 2,400 square miles. In March 2013, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), Office of Water Resources (OWR) completed their comprehensive Flood Risk Report of the Upper Alabama River watershed (HUC 03150201) using HAZUS-MH, a freely accessible software. Incorporated into these HAZUS-MH evaluations were 2011 hydrologic and hydraulic characteristics of the watershed. In this paper, the authors discuss the effectiveness of this system in predicting both the extent and economic consequences of flooding events, using two historic floods as a means of validation. These results are then compared against the historic records to analyze the accuracy of both simulations. Results indicate that terrain resolutions plays a significant role in inundation mapping, HUC 8 main stem hydraulics have little effect on the location of flood damage, and HAZUS-MH appears to significantly overestimate the monetary damages associated with both real-world flooding events.