The Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) layer shows flood risk information as assessed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to identify areas that have special flood, mudflow, and erosion hazards that require more attention. This information is used for urban planning and helping individuals be more aware of the flood risks of their properties.
The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) layer shows the vulnerabilities of communities at the census tract level as assessed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to determine the risks of each tract when evacuating natural disasters, which is often influenced by factors such as income, vehicle access, or crowded households. This information is used to identify communities with increased social vulnerabilities so that public health officials and local planners can help them be better prepared for evacuating natural disasters.
The SFHA data informs us of the physical flood risks based on geographical components and infrastucture availability which can help suppress the amount of damage caused by potential floods. The SVI data focuses on the social risks associated with communities regardless of these physical risks, to identify issues that they may have with evacuating members of these communities safely. By overlaying SVI data on SFHA data, we can make a better assessment of which areas are more vulnerable to flood risk overall, and this information can be utilized for better evacuation strategies for communities at higher risks.
return to see all projects