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Exploratory Analysis of Flood Insurance Claims and the Characteristics of Affected Communities in Harris County
Abstract
Floods in the United States have become frequent, causing widespread damage and loss of life (Downton et al., 2005). Several significant floods have occurred in the US recently, such as the 2017 Hurricane Harvey, which resulted in catastrophic flooding in Houston and the surrounding areas. Floods can cause significant economic and social impacts, including damage to homes and infrastructure, prompting affected property owners to file flood insurance claims for compensation. Understanding the contributing factors to flooding gives valuable insights into mitigating the damage left by floods. Moreover, studying the factors that might influence flood insurance claim submission can evaluate the likelihood of flood events and help policymakers identify deficiencies in existing flood insurance and mitigation policies. This research focuses on flood events in Texas, specifically within Harris County, between 2010 and 2019. This study explores flood insurance claims and the characteristics of affected communities in Harris County. The study utilizes geographic information system (GIS) to conduct analysis at the census tract level based on flood events and insurance claims. The study area is delineated into two types of census tracts: "Islands" —with one or no flood events resulting in claims— surrounded by "Neighbors" —with two or more flood events resulting in claims. Subsequently, each census tract's physical and socioeconomic characteristics were obtained and explored. The findings reveal that drainage area (which represents floodwater accumulation based on area topography) plays a crucial role in the formation of islands. In addition, socioeconomic characteristics might affect these islands within Harris County.
Subject
FloodingCitation
Maghaydah, Aya Osama Suleiman (2023). Exploratory Analysis of Flood Insurance Claims and the Characteristics of Affected Communities in Harris County. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /200037.