Rachel Rubanguka
Research Mentor(s): Andrew Gronewold
Research Mentor School/College/Department: SEAS
Presentation Date: 08/03/2022
Presentation Type: Poster
Poster Number: 39
Session: Session I: 12:30 – 1:20pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Rachel Rubanguka, Dr. Andrew Gronewold, April Kim, Eamon Espey
Abstract
Flooding is a natural disaster that can lead to catastrophic events, particularly in areas such as Southeast Michigan with low elevation, intense precipitation, and aging infrastructure. Flooding affects the way human beings live in one way or the other. Floods lead to destruction of property, crops, and people tend to lose their lives. However, with proper infrastructure planning, the risks and effects related to floods can be diminished. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), and Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) collaborate to assess flooding risk for roads, bridges, culverts, and pump stations in the SEMCOG region. A flood risk assessment (FRA) is an assessment of the risk of flooding and the identification of flood regulation measures, and it should provide recommendations on actions to be taken before and during a flood.
In this project, we assessed risk based on the tendency of an asset to experience impacts from flooding (vulnerability) and importance of an asset to the transportation system or regional as whole (criticality). The information from the assessment will better help SEMCOG and MDOT to plan and invest in decisions that are safe for the regional transportation network. Also, flood data sharing between agencies is very important for evaluating the flooding risk to assets. Across Southeast Michigan, the majority of the high-risk assets are located in Wayne County. In this research, we focus on six counties within SEMCOG region including Wayne County, Washtenaw County, St. Clair County, Oakland County, Monroe County, and Macomb County. Structuring flooding risk scores into the transportation planning decision-making process is a key outcome for this project. Taking into account future flood risks in the overall planning and decision-making process enables transportation agencies to address flood risks alongside other risks.
