Abstract
Floods continue to pose the greatest threat to the property and safety of human communities among all natural hazards in the United States. While the link between urbanization and flooding is established, the degree to which specific characteristics of the built environment affect the level of damage sustained by a community has never been thoroughly investigated at the regional scale. Our study addresses this lack of research by examining the relationship between the built environment and flood impacts in Texas, which consistently sustains the most damage from flooding more than any other state in the country. Specifically, we calculate property damage resulting from 423 flood events over a five year period between 1997 and 2001 at the county level. We identify the impact of several built environment measures, including wetland alteration, impervious surface, and dams on reported property damage while controlling for biophysical and socioeconomic characteristics. Statistical results suggest that naturally occurring wetlands play a particularly important role in mitigating flood damage. These findings provide guidance to homeland security experts and flood managers on how to most effectively mitigate the costly impacts of floods at the community level.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alig, R.J., Kline, J.D. & Lichtenstein, M. (2004). Urbanization on the US landscape: Looking ahead in the 21st century. Landscape and Urban Planning, 69, 219–234.
Ammon, D.C., Wayne, C. & Hearney, J.P. (1981). Wetlands’ use for water management in Florida. Journal of Water Resources. Planning and Management, 107(WR2), 315–327.
Arnold, L.A. & Gibbons, C.J. (1996). Impervious surface coverage-The emergence of a key environmental indicator. Journal of the American Planning Association, 62, 243–258.
(ASFPM) Association of State Floodplain Managers (2000). National flood programs in review–2000. (Madison, WI: ASFM).
Birkland, T., Burby, R., Conrad, D., Cortner, H. & Mitchner, W. (2003). River ecology and flood hazard mitigation. Natural Hazards Review, 4(1), 46–54.
Brezonik, P.L. & Stadelmann, T.H. (2002). Analysis and predictive models of stormwater runoff volumes, loads and pollutant concentrations from watersheds in the twin cities metropolitan area, Minnesota, USA. Water Resources, 36, 1743–1757.
Brody, S.D. & Highfield, W.E. (2005). Does planning work? Testing the implementation of local environment planning in Florida. Journal of the American Planning Association, 71(2), 159–176.
Brody, S.D., Highfield, W.E., Ryu, H. & Spanel-Weber, L. (2007). Examining the relationship between wetland alteration and watershed flooding in Texas and Florida. Natural Hazards, 40(2), 413–428.
Bullock, A. & Acreman, M. (2003). The role of wetlands in the hydrological cycle, Hydrology and. Earth System Sciences, 7(3), 358–389.
Burby, R.J., French, S.P. & Cigler, B.A. (1985). Flood plain land use management: A national assessment. (Boulder, CO: Westview Press).
Burges, S.J., Wigmosta, M.S. & Meena, J.M. (1998). Hydrological effects of land-use change in a zero-order catchment. Journal of Hydrological Engineering, 3, 86–97.
Burns, D., Vitvar, T., McDonnell, J., Hassett, J., Duncan, J. & Kendall, C. (2005). Effects of suburban development on runoff generation in the Croton River Basin, New York, USA. Journal of Hydrology, 311, 266–281.
Carter, R.W. (1961). Magnitude and frequency of floods in suburban areas. (In Short papers in geologic and hydrologic sciences. USGS Professional Paper 424-B: B9–B11).
Conger, S. (1971). Estimating magnitude and frequency of floods in Wisconsin, U.S. Geological Survey open-file report, Madison, WI.
Daniel, C. (1981). Hydrology, geology, and soils of Pocosins: A comparison of natural and altered systems, Pocosin Wetlands. (Straudsburg, PA: Hutchinson Ross).
Dunne, T. & Leopold, L.B. (1978). Water in environmental planning. (New York: Freeman).
Espey, W.H., Morgan, C.W. & Masch, F.D. (1965). A study of some effects of urbanization on storm runoff from a small watershed. Tech. Rep. 44D 07–6501 CRWR-2. (Austin, TX: Center for Research in Water Resources. University of Texas).
Godschalk, D.R., Beatley, T., Berke, P., Brower, D.J. & Kaiser, E.J. (1999). Natural hazard mitigation: Recasting disaster policy and planning. (Washington, DC: Island Press).
Harding, D. & Parker D. (1974). Flood hazards at Shrewsbury, United Kingdom. (In Gilbert F. White (Ed.), Natural hazards: Local, national, and global (pp. 43–52). New York: Oxford University Press).
Hazards Research Lab (2006). The spatial hazard events and losses database for the United States, Version 4.1 [Electronic edition]. (Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina. Retrieved from http://www.sheldus.org).
Heikuranen, L. (1976). Comparison between runoff condition on a virgin peatland and a forest drainage area. Proceedings of the Fifth International Peat Congress, 76–86.
Hertzler, R.A. (1961). Corps of Engineers experience relating to flood-plain regulation. Papers on Flood Problems. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press).
Hirsch, R.M., Walker, J.F., Day, J.C. & Kallio, R. (1990). The influence of main on hydrological systems. (In M.G. Wolman & H.C. Riggs (Eds.), Surface water hydrology, vol. 0–1 (pp. 329–359). Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America).
Johnston, C.A., Detenbeck, N.E. & Niemi, G.J. (1990). The cumulative effect of wetlands on stream water quality and quantity. A landscape approach. Biogeochemistry, 10(2), 105–141.
Kunreuther, H.J. & Roth (1998). Paying the price: The status and role of insurance against natural disasters in the US. (Washington, DC: John Henry Press).
Larson, L. & Plasencia, D. (2001). No adverse impact: A new direction in floodplain management policy. Natural Hazards Review, 2(4), 167–181.
Leopold, L.B. (1968). Hydrology for urban planning- A guidebook on the hydrologic effects of urban land use. (USGS Circular 554, 18 pp).
Leopold, L.B. (1994). A view of the river (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press).
Lewis, W.M. (2001). Wetlands explained: Wetland science, policy, and politics in America. (New York: Oxford University Press).
Mileti, D.S. (1999). Disasters by design: A reassessment of natural hazards in the United States. (Washington, DC: Joseph-Henry Press).
Mitch, W.J. & Gosselink, J.G. (2000). Wetlands, 3rd ed. (New York: Wiley).
NCDC (National Climatic Data Center) (2000). Billion dollar U.S. weather disasters [Electronic version]. Retrieved from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/reports/billionz.html.
Novitski, R.P. (1985). The effects of lakes and wetlands on flood flows and base flows in selected northern and eastern states. Proceedings of the Conference on Wetlands of the Chesapeake, Easton, Maryland, Environmental Law Institute, 143–154.
Ogawa, H. & Male J.W. (1986). Simulating the flood mitigation role of wetlands. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 112(1), 114–128.
Padmanabhan, F.G. & Bengston, M.L. (2001). Assessing the influence of wetlands on flooding. Proceedings of the ASCE Conference on Wetlands Engineering and River Restoration, Reno, NV, 1–12.
Paul, M.J. & Meyer, J.L. (2001). Streams in the urban landscape. Annual Review of Ecological Systems, 32, 333–365.
Pielke, R.A. (1996). Midwest flood of 1993: Weather, climate, and societal impacts. (Boulder, CO: National Center for Atmospheric Research).
Pielke, R.A. (2000). Flood impacts on society: Damaging floods as a framework for assessment. (In D.J. Parker (Ed.), Floods (pp. 133–155). New York/London: Routledge).
Platt, R.H. (1999). Disasters and democracy: The politics of extreme natural events. (Washington, DC: Island Press).
Rose, S. & Peters, N. (2001). Effects of urbanization on streamflow in the Atlanta area (Georgia, USA): A comparative hydrological approach. Hydrological Proceedings, 14, 1441–1457.
Seaburn, G.E. (1969). Effects of urban development on direct runoff to East Meadow Brook, Nassau County, Long Island, New York. USGS Professional Paper 627-B.
Stein, J., Moreno, P., Conrad, D. & Ellis, S. (2000). Troubled waters: Congress, the Corps of Engineers, and wasteful water projects. (Washington, DC: Taxpayers for Common Sense and National Wildlife Federation).
TFFFCP (Task Force on Federal Flood Control Policy) (1966). A unified national program for managing flood losses. Report No. 67–663. U.S. GPO, Washington, DC.
Tobin, G.A. (1995). The levee love affair: A stormy relationship. Water Resources Bulletin, 31, 359–367.
Tourbier, J.T. & Westmacott, R. (1981). Water resources protection technology: A handbook of measures to protect water resources in land development. (Washington, DC: The Urban Land Institute).
(USACE) United States Army Corps of Engineers (2002). Services to the public: Flood damage reduction [Electronic version]. Retrieved July 7, 2005 from http://www.usace.army.mil/public.html#Flood.
U.S. Census Bureau (2000). http://www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html (accessed 26 July 2006).
Verry, E.S. & Boelter, D.H. (1978). Peatland hydrology, wetland functions and values: The state of our understanding (pp. 389–402). (Minneapolis, MN: American Water Resources Association).
White, G.F. (1945). Human adjustment to floods: A geographical approach to the flood problem in the United States. Research Paper No. 29, University of Chicago, Department of Geography, Chicago, IL.
White, M.D. & Greer, K.A. (2006). The effects of watershed urbanization on the stream hydrology and riparian vegetation of Los Peñasquitos Creek, California. Landscape and Urban Planning, 74, 125–138.
Zahran, S., Peacock, W.G., Grover, H. & Vedlitz, A. (2008). Social vulnerability, natural, and built environments: Flood casualties in Texas, 1997–2001. Environmental Planning and Management (under review).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer Science + Business Media B.V
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Brody, S.D., Zahran, S. (2008). Estimating Flood Damage in Texas Using GIS: Predictors, Consequences, and Policy Implications. In: Sui, D.Z. (eds) Geospatial Technologies and Homeland Security. The GeoJournal Library, vol 94. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8507-9_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8507-9_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-8339-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-8507-9
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)