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<br /> <br />Flood <br /> <br />leaks can trigger fire and explosion. Flood debris—such as broken bottles, wood, stones and walls—may <br />cause injuries to those cleaning damaged buildings. Containers of hazardous chemicals may be buried <br />under flood debris. Hazardous dust and mold can circulate through a building and be inhaled by those <br />engaged in cleanup and restoration. <br /> Mental stress and fatigue—People who live through a devastating flood can experience long-term <br />psychological impact. The expense and effort required to repair flood-damaged homes places severe <br />financial and psychological burdens on the people affected. Post-flood recovery can cause, anxiety, anger, <br />depression, lethargy, hyperactivity, and sleeplessness. There is also a long-term concern among the <br />affected that their homes can be flooded again in the future. <br />Current loss estimation models such as Hazus are not equipped to measure public health impacts such as these. <br />The best level of mitigation for these impacts is to be aware that they can occur, educate the public on prevention, <br />and be prepared to deal with them in responding to flood events. <br /> <br />11.4.2 Property <br />Hazus calculates losses to structures from flooding by looking at depth of flooding and type of structure. Using <br />historical flood insurance claim data, Hazus estimates the percentage of damage to structures and their contents by <br />applying established damage functions to an inventory. For this analysis, local data on facilities was used instead <br />of the default inventory data provided with Hazus. <br /> <br />Table 11-11 summarizes Hazus estimates of flood damage in the planning area. The debris estimate includes only <br />structural debris and building finishes; it does not include additional debris that may result from a flood event, <br />such as from trees, sediment, building contents, bridges, or utility lines. The 110,657 tons of estimated debris <br />from a 1-percent-annual-chance flood event is enough to fill 4,426 25-ton trucks. <br /> <br />Table 11-11. Estimated Impact of a Flood Event in the Planning Area <br />Damage Type 100-Year Flood 500-Year Flood <br />Structure Debris (Tons) 110,657 218,401 <br />Buildings Impacted a 6,640 11,479 <br />Total Value (Structure + Contents) Damaged $1,284,385,554 $2,844,179,068 <br />Damage as % of Total Replacement Value 0.7% 1.5% <br />a. “Impacted” means floodwater projected over the lowest floor. <br /> <br />11.4.3 Critical Facilities <br />Estimated Damage <br />Hazus was used to estimate the percent of damage to the building and contents of critical facilities, using <br />depth/damage function curves. The results are summarized in Figure 11-6 and Figure 11-7. <br /> <br />Impacts on Hazardous Materials <br />During a flood event, containers holding hazardous materials can rupture and leak into the surrounding area. <br />These facilities could release chemicals that cause cancer or other human health effects, significant adverse acute <br />human health effects, or significant adverse environmental effects. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />11-25