Producing Rapid and Simplified Inundations With Limited Information

The USACE Modeling Mapping and Consequences Production Center (MMC) provides hydraulic modeling, mapping and consequence analysis for USACE dams and Levees in support of the USACE Dam & Levee Safety and Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience (CIPR) Programs. The MMC has developed processes, tools and standards for creating hydraulic models in support of dam and levee breach hydraulic models for use in emergency action plans (EAP) and watershed-wide modeling in support of the Corps Water Management System (CWMS) program. As a result of this experience, the MMC also provides Flood Inundation Modeling support during real-time flood events with its Flood Inundation Mapping Cadre (FIM). The mission of the FIM Cadre is to assist districts and other government agencies when called upon to run real-time hydraulic models, prepare forecast inundation maps, and develop consequence estimates for significant flood events. For areas that have USACE projects, the cadre typically has existing data and models to produce inundations. However, in areas where there are no USACE operation, information can be limited, and some simplifications and assumptions must be made. This presentation will provide examples of performing rapid inundations in support of flood events and for dam & levee breach modeling with limited information. The use of mapping during extreme events (floods, droughts, hurricanes, dam & levee breaching, etc.) has provided, and continues to provide, critical situational and real-time information for emergency responders, decision makers, and key stakeholders. This information is helpful not only to USACE, but also to federal, state, local, and emergency responder partners. This presentation will provide case studies of rapid inundations performed by the MMC during flood events and performed by special requests. It will show some of the unique ways that the MMC has produced models with limited data and provide some general sources of basic information.