Adaptation options

Proactive options for adaptation are listed in advance of a flooding event. A sample list of measures in the tool are provided below:

1. Lot-level flood protection measures

• Permanent flood protection measures that are implemented in advance of a flood (e.g., backwater valves, downspout disconnection, lot re-grading, window sealing).
• Users select the percentage of buildings within a spatial unit that are protected from flood inundation.
• Protecting buildings will improve the physical system performance measures related to the number of buildings that are inundated; in addition to the socioeconomic system performance measures corresponding to the economic damages incurred as a result of structural failure.

2. Maintenance of drainage infrastructure

• Maintenance of drainage infrastructure (through the removal of debris) will optimize drainage capacity, reducing the effective flood depth and extent.
• Users select the percentage of the flood extent (i.e., the flooded area) within a spatial unit to be reduced by maintaining drainage infrastructure.
• All physical and socioeconomic system performance measures are driven by the magnitude of the flood extent; therefore, maximizing the capacity of storm drainage infrastructure to divert more runoff from vulnerable regions can have a significant effect on the overall resilience of the system.

3. Twinning critical infrastructure

• Select the percentage of the critical infrastructure that have a secondary source.
• Twinning of critical, engineering infrastructure (e.g., water and power) means that there is a secondary service in the event that one infrastructure piece fails as a result of the hazard. It is an example of building redundancy into the urban system.
• Users select the percentage of engineering infrastructure entities within a spatial unit that have a secondary source of service.
• By introducing a secondary piece of engineering infrastructure that is outside of the floodplain (or region that is susceptible to flooding), there will be no loss in system performance with respect to the service it provides.

Reactive options for adaptation are implemented in response to a flood warning that has been issued by the regional conservation authority. A sample list of measures available in the tool are provided below:

1. Temporary dyking measures:

• Barriers that protect the structural integrity of buildings, critical facilities and engineering infrastructure from flood inundation and maintain roads and access routes to these structures.
• Users select: (i) the percentage of structures (buildings, critical facilities, engineering infrastructure) within a spatial unit that are protected from flood inundation; and (ii) the percentage of total road length within a spatial unit that are protected from flood inundation.
• Protecting structures will improve the physical system performance measures related to the number of buildings, critical facilities and engineering infrastructures that are inundated; in addition to the socioeconomic system performance measures corresponding to the economic damages incurred as a result of structural failure.
• Protecting roads will improve the physical system performance measure related to the length of road that is inundated; in addition to the socioeconomic system performance measures of the economic damages incurred as a result of service disruption and road repair.

2. Pumping out of flooded area

• Diversion of floodwater from vulnerable regions to open areas such as parks or stormwater management ponds.
• Users select the percentage of the flood extent (i.e., the flooded area) within a spatial unit to be pumped out or reduced.
• All physical and socioeconomic system performance measures are driven by the magnitude of the flood extent; therefore, diverting floodwater from vulnerable to open areas will have a significant effect on the overall resilience of the system.

3. Evacuation and relocation

• The evacuation and relocation of people belonging to vulnerable socioeconomic groups (i.e., those without the resources required for independent evacuation) to safe reception centres.
• Users select the number of people belonging to vulnerable demographics within a spatial unit to be evacuated and relocated to safe reception centres.
• Evacuating and relocating people who are susceptible to flooding and who do not have the capacity or the resources required to evacuate independently, improves the socioeconomic system performance measure counting the number of vulnerable people within the flooded portion of the spatial unit.

4. Allocation of resources

• Allocation of monetary, technological, informational and human resources in the event of a flood.
• Allocating resources increases the rate and magnitude of recovery for all measures of system performance.

5. Response time

• Time, in hours, when the measures are implementation in the event of a flood.
• Changing the measure implementation time will impact the the rate of recovery for all measures of system performance.