Assessing the Effects and Effectiveness of Flash Flood Mitigation Strategies

Abstract

A number of mitigation measures are available to mitigate the impact offlash floods, ranging from forecasting and warning to land usemanagement and relocation of structures out of the flood hazard area.Few argue that flash flood mitigation is unnecessary, and the need forsome mix of measures is generally accepted as preferable to reliance onone or another measure. However, mitigation strategies vary in terms ofcost (both in real dollars and human and other resources),acceptability, direct and indirect effects on social, economic, andenvironmental systems, and in their effectiveness. Yet, there is littlework evaluating mitigation strategies with regard to the criteria listedabove. The effectiveness of mitigation measures is tested when a flashflood occurs, but these are expensive tests that come too tate. Astrategy to evaluate the range and nature of effects, both beneficialand adverse, of flash flood mitigation measures is presented and appliedto a case study.