Author(s): Neiler Medina, Arlex Sanchez, Zoran Vojinovic

Linked Author(s): Neiler Medina

Keywords: Flood risk, Agent based Models (ABM), human behavior, natural disasters, planning strategies

Abstract: This paper describes the use of an Agent Based Model (ABM) to implement a human behavioral model in order to explore different planning strategies for city evacuation under threat of a flood disaster as a measure to deal with urban flood management. The model mimics the daily behavior of individuals and the interactions between them on a city scale and how this behavior will evolve once a flood disaster is forecasted or is actually unfolding. The aim of this approach is to gain understandings on which are some of the key elements that affect and must be improved to have less or zero casualities due to failure in the evacuation process. For this purpose different scenarios of flooding have been tested, in particular a combination of different communication strategies and communication means. As a result, the overall performance of the evacuation has been measured as the number of people that reached safe the shelter and the number of people in contact with the hazard for each scenario. Additionally, some physical infrastructure measurements have been discovered as needed for the case study city, such as road widening and shelter improvements (as location and resources)

DOI:

Year: 2017