INSYDE-content: A synthetic, multi-variable flood damage model for household contents

Abstract

This paper introduces INSYDE-content, a novel, probabilistic, multi-variable synthetic model designed to estimate flood damage for household contents on a component-by-component basis. The model addresses a critical gap in current modeling tools, which often overlook the significance of household contents in overall damage assessments. Developed through an expert-based approach and grounded in the scientific and technical literature, INSYDE-content leverages desk-based data to characterize model features, including uncertainty treatment arising from incomplete input data. A validation test on two historical flood events and a sensitivity analysis are performed to assess the model's performance and explore the contribution of input variables to damage estimation, confirming its robustness and interpretability. For illustrative purposes, in this study INSYDE-content has been tailored to the specific hazard, vulnerability and exposure characteristics of Northern Italy; nonetheless, its adaptable structure supports broader applicability across diverse regional settings, provided suitable customization is applied.