Assessing Connecticut’s flood risk using multi-criterion analysis and its implication to environmental justice
Presenter(s)
Julie Hays
Files
Description
This project aims to achieve two objectives: 1) develop a flood risk map for the state of Connecticut using a multi-criterion approach based on geographic information system (GIS) techniques and compare the result with Connecticut’s Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and 2) investigate the issues of environmental injustice related to the direct financial impact caused by flood insurance policies. The flood risk map is generated using publicly available data and GIS tools. To account for the many elements which are involved with flooding, the Analytical Hierarchy Process method is used to assign a weighted numerical value to the parameters which contribute to flood vulnerability. The flood risk parameters chosen to be included in the study follow the FIGUSED method: flow accumulation (F), rainfall intensity (I), geology (G), land use (U), slope (S), elevation (E), and distance from drainage network (D). The net vulnerability of an area due to these parameters is referred to as the Flood Hazard Index value (FHI). Census data is then used to determine if socio-economically disadvantaged groups are at disproportionate risk. The variables that characterize such groups include race, level of income, and level of educational attainment. The significance of this study is to identify the possibility of minority communities being disproportionally affected by a federal policy regarding flood insurance, providing information for the equitable implementation of its polices.
Publication Date
4-18-2018
Project Designation
Capstone Project
Primary Advisor
Shuang-Ye Wu
Primary Advisor's Department
Geology
Keywords
Stander Symposium project
Recommended Citation
"Assessing Connecticut’s flood risk using multi-criterion analysis and its implication to environmental justice" (2018). Stander Symposium Projects. 1306.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/1306
