Report A Flood tool

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

1. ABSTRACT Flooding in Maricopa County, as it is in the United States, is the most common natural disaster affecting people’s lives and properties. The Flood Control District of Maricopa County (District) was established in 1959 to help reduce flood risk in Maricopa County for its residents and their property. The cliché “a picture is worth a thousand words” is very relevant to the floodplain management field. Having geo-referenced dated photographic evidence of flooding not only documents that flooding does occur but also shows potential flooding problems in a particular area for a specific rain event. In the arid southwest where rain storms and flooding are relatively infrequent, photos and videos can be especially valuable compared to wetter regions of the country. The internet based and mobile friendly Report a Flood tool allows the District to easily collect and share geo-referenced, dated photographs and videos of flooding and flood damages. Collecting photographic evidence of flooding can support many of the District’s core functions, such as informing residents of flooding hazards and risks, validating and/or calibrating the District’s model results and stream gages, demonstrating that flood control structures function as designed, and justifying the need for additional capital improvement projects. In addition, the collected photos and videos and data can be used by the municipalities and other government agencies, the consultant community, and the public for other beneficial uses. Development of the Report a Flood tool started in June 2012.