RegioFEM — Applying a floodplain evaluation method to support a future-oriented flood risk management (Part II)
This study explores the application of the regional floodplain evaluation matrix (RegioFEM), a method to support a future-oriented flood risk management at a regional scale. The method aims to help flood risk managers manage increasing challenges in anticipating future developments and coordinating flood risk management on a regional level. The developed method uses several parameters assessing the consequences of changes in the study area, which lead to changes in flood risk. Settlement development, planned flood protection measures and the likely increase of flood runoff due to climatic changes are considered. Parameters include hydrological (e.g., peak reduction), hydraulic (inundation area), spatial (affected buildings) and monetary (damage potential) ones.
The study finds that the analysis of different flood protection approaches and the determination of their impacts on a regional level is possible and desirable for regional flood risk management. Anticipating and evaluating future developments in the study area provided important information about the consequences of such developments. However, uncertainty about upcoming developments remains the major challenge of future-oriented flood risk management. The flexible design of RegioFEM allows dealing with such uncertainties by expanding the assessment and using additional approaches.