Using HAZUS
for the Flood Risk
Assessment Dataset within
FEMA Risk MAP Studies
2011 ASFPM Annual National Conference
Louisville, KY
Dr. Shane Parson, PE, CFM, URS (RAMPP Team)
Agenda
 Overview
 Average Annualized Loss (AAL Study)
 Risk MAP – Flood Risk Assessment Dataset
• Process
• AAL Data
• Refined HAZUS Data
• Composite Data
• Flood Risk Products Use: Database, Report, Map
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Flood Risk Assessment Data
Purpose and Intended Uses
 Identify Areas and Communicate Relative Flood Risk:
• Flood-prone areas
• Vulnerable people and property
 Provide Flood Risk $:
• Potential damage severity for different flood frequencies
• Identify locations with possible cost effective mitigation options
 Improve Estimates for Flood Risk $:
• Losses from Average Annualized Loss (AAL) Study
• Refined losses from new flood study depth grids
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AAL Study
 2010 HAZUS-MH Flood Average Annualized Loss Estimation (AAL) was
performed for continental U.S. using MR4
 Inputs:
• County-wide study regions
• 30 meter DEM
• Default Census data
 Final Output included:
• Total exposure
• Average Annualized Loss
• Annualized Loss Ratio
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AAL Usability for Risk MAP
 Initial study focused on providing state and watershed based results
 As Risk MAP looks to use more detailed results (census block level), an
AAL Usability Analysis was conducted to better understand its limitations
and refine AAL results as appropriate.
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Flood Risk Assessment
Inputs, Outputs, and Delivery
 Inputs:
• HAZUS AAL Data
• Draft flood depth grids
• Enhanced data
Source: FEMA
Source: Flood Depth Grid Analysis
Source: Discovery / Local, State, Fed. GIS
 Outputs:
• Flood Risk Assessment dataset
– HAZUS AAL Data
– Refined HAZUS Data
– Composite Data (includes data
used for Flood Risk Report and Map)
 Delivery:
• Drafts presented at Resilience Meeting
• Final delivered after Flood Risk review and discussions
• Incorporated within Flood Risk DB, Report, and Map
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Development of the Flood Risk Assessment
Dataset in Risk MAP
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Enhanced Flood Risk Assessment
Analyses
 Enhancements could include:
• Risk Assessments at site-specific
locations
• Incorporation of locally-provided
inventory data (first-floor elevations
and/or parcel data)
• Additional sources of flood depth
grids
• Supplemental HAZUS analyses or
other types of analyses
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Refined HAZUS Data – Content
Scalability
 Flood Risk Assessment 
 HAZUS analysis for reaches with new or updated studies where depth grids
can be generated
 Should include 10%, 4%, 2%, 1%, and 0.2% annual chance events and
Annualized Loss
 HAZUS GBS Losses (dollar losses, percent damage, business disruption)
 Enhancements 
 Additional events
 Additional HAZUS loss calculations (infrastructure, critical facilities, userdefined facilities)
 Use of local data to updated/supplement HAZUS data
 Non-HAZUS analysis methods (needs to be able to produce the required
output to populate the associated tables in the flood risk database)
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Composite Data – Content
Scalability
 Flood Risk Assessment 
 HAZUS Combination of AAL and Refined HAZUS Data
 Should include 10%, 2%, 1%, and 0.2% annual chance events and
Annualized Loss (may include more events)
 HAZUS GBS Losses (dollar losses, percent damage, business disruption)
 Enhancements 
 Only included if results to be show in Flood Risk Report or Flood Risk Map
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Flood Risk Assessment Delivered
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Flood Risk Map Elements
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Flood Risk Report Elements
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