Sensitivity of flood damage assessment based on building vulnerability characterization

Abstract

This paper compares, in a local scale, four different methods to assess buildings vulnerability to floods. In urban areas, buildings and contents represent the majority of flood damages. The four methods are different in relation to the quality of the data used. Each method is analyzed in terms of its feasibility and the reliability of the loss evaluation. The municipal of Holtzheim, in the Bruche River (Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France) is studied. We test the sensitivity of the evaluation results to the four different methods used to assess vulnerability. Loss is evaluated in the range of 245 to 705 k€ per year when using the most feasible method. When using the most reliable method, we evaluate loss in the range of 315 to 405 k€ per year. In conclusion, we discuss the choice between the different methods to assess vulnerability and a recommendation guide is proposed.