Learn how compound flooding amplifies disaster risk and how Streamline Technologies’ FloodWise system delivers real-time, integrated forecasting to help communities proactively prepare, mitigate, and respond.
Flooding remains the most destructive and costly natural hazard in the United States, responsible for billions of dollars in damages each year.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season produced five billion-dollar storms, with damages estimated to be over $124 billion from these five storms alone. This ranks it as the third costliest hurricane season of the past 25 years.
As coastal and inland communities now brace for the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season, they not only face familiar flood risks but also the growing threat posed by compound flooding – a complex hazard demanding greater attention, advanced forecasting, and more proactive mitigation strategies.
Compound flooding occurs when two or more flood-producing factors, such as storm surge, high tides, heavy rainfall, or elevated river flows, occur in concert, creating flood impacts that are significantly more severe than those caused by any single factor alone. This convergence of flood mechanisms often leads to deeper inundation, broader impact zones, and greater challenges for emergency response and recovery.
Consider the events of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017, where extreme rainfall combined with storm surge and high tides, generating floodwaters that exceeded design expectations, overwhelmed drainage systems, and inundated communities beyond anticipated flood zones. These events were clear examples of compound flooding, illustrating how the combined effect of multiple flood drivers can produce outcomes that far surpass the sum of individual risks.
Several factors are contributing to the rising frequency and severity of compound flooding:
Traditionally, flood risk assessments have focused on one flood driver at a time, such as storm surge or riverine flooding, without accounting for how these mechanisms might interact.
But when rainfall, tides, and storm surge combine, the results can overwhelm infrastructure, delay emergency response, and endanger lives, leaving critical blind spots in flood forecasting and emergency planning, particularly in coastal and estuarine regions where multiple flood sources frequently coincide.
Communities require integrated, real-time flood forecasts that capture these complex interactions and provide actionable insights before disaster strikes.
Streamline Technologies’ FloodWise software is an innovative real-time flood forecasting system that is purposefully designed to address the realities of increasingly complex flood threats. FloodWise integrates the combined effects of rainfall, riverine flows, storm surge, and tidal influences to deliver accurate, high-resolution forecasts that reflect the full complexity of modern flood risks.
How FloodWise Provides a Critical Advantage:
With the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season now underway and the threat of compound flooding on the rise, communities can no longer rely on single-driver flood models or reactive response strategies. A forward-looking, integrated approach is essential to anticipate and respond to complex, multi-factor flood events.
FloodWise converts flood forecasting and flood risk management from reactive to proactive, transforming uncertainty into foresight and equipping communities with the tools to anticipate complex flood scenarios and respond with confidence.
Contact our team today to learn how FloodWise can strengthen your flood resilience strategy and help your community stay ahead of the storm through innovative solutions for the complexities of modern flood threats…. Helping you protect what matters most.