Comparison of Flood Inundation Modeling Frameworks within a Small Coastal Watershed during a Compound Flood Event

Abstract. The flooding brought about by compound coastal flooding can be devastating. Before, during, and immediately following these events, flood inundation maps, or Events Maps, can provide essential information to emergency management. However, there are a number of frameworks capable of estimating Event Maps during flood events. In this article, we evaluate three such Event Map frameworks in the context of Hurricane Harvey. Our analysis reveals that each of the three frameworks provide different inundation maps that differ in their level of accuracy. Each of the three Event Maps also produce different exposure and consequence estimates because of their physical differences. This investigation highlights the need for a centralized means of vetting and adjudicating multiple Event Maps during compound flood events empowered by the ability to distribute Event Maps as geographic information system (GIS) services and coalesce Event Maps into a common operating picture. Furthermore, we provide evidence that the ability to produce multi-model estimates of Events Maps to create probabilistic Event Maps may provide a better product than the use of a lone Event Map.