Flood Science

Background and Problem Prattsville has experienced severe flooding along the Schoharie Creek, most notably during August 2011 following Hurricane Irene, which severely damaged or destroyed large areas of the town, and caused several million dollars in damages (Figure 1). Before and during a flood, forewarning and emergency response are critical. The rescue efforts of emergency responders...

Delhi has experienced severe flooding along the West Branch Delaware River (fig. 1); most notably during January, 1996, June, 2006, and October, 2010, and August, 2011. Emergency responders would benefit from a library of flood-inundation maps that are referenced to the stages recorded at the USGS streamgage upstream from Delhi. By referring to the appropriate map, emergency responders...

The coastal areas of southeastern New York (fig. 1) are highly vulnerable to tidal flooding (fig. 2). Timely evacuation of people from flood-threatened areas in advance of approaching hurricanes and nor'easters (northeast coastal storms) requires adequate flood-warning time. To begin addressing this need for immediate information on coastal flooding, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in