Authors:
F. Warren McKinnie, PE, CFM, GISP:
Senior Director of Industry Solutions, Streamline Technologies Inc.
Cara Reichenbach, PE:
Sr. Principal Water Resources Engineer, Streamline Technologies Inc.
Marangely Gonzalez, PhD, EI :
Water Resources Engineer III, Streamline Technologies Inc.
Source:
Streamline Technologies, Inc.
Abstract:
Flood risk is evolving faster than ever before. What were once distinct threats, such as heavy rainfall, riverine overflow, storm surge, and tidal fluctuations, are increasingly converging into complex, compounding events that challenge the limits of traditional forecasting and preparedness strategies. Across coastal and inland communities, these interconnected forces are reshaping not only the scale of flooding but the way it unfolds.
For too long, flood preparedness approached these risks in isolation, modeling inland and coastal processes separately, often missing the critical interactions between them. But in reality, the question is no longer simply when flooding will occur. It's how multiple drivers will combine, where impacts will intensify, and which communities will face the greatest consequences.
"Integrated Inland and Coastal Flood Analysis" introduces a new, integrated approach to flood intelligence, one designed to reflect the true complexity of modern flood events. At the center of this approach is FloodWise™, a real-time flood forecasting system that unifies inland hydrology and coastal dynamics within a single, continuously operating platform. By combining decades of hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) modeling expertise with live meteorological and oceanographic data, FloodWise™ provides a clearer, more complete picture of flood risk as it evolves.
This paper explores why integration is no longer optional but essential. By modeling rainfall, runoff, tides, and surge together – rather than as independent systems – it captures the compounded impacts that traditional approaches often overlook. Through detailed hindcast analyses of Hurricanes Idalia, Helene, and Milton, the study demonstrates how this unified perspective can deliver critical lead times of 24 to 72 hours, offering communities the opportunity to act before conditions escalate.
Yet, understanding risk is only part of the equation. True resilience depends on translating complex data into clear, actionable insight. FloodWise™ bridges this gap through an intuitive, decision-focused interface that distills advanced modeling into simple visual indicators, empowering emergency managers, public officials, and community leaders to make informed decisions with clarity and confidence.
As flood events grow more intense and interconnected, this whitepaper challenges the limitations of fragmented modeling and presents a forward-looking solution, one where integrated, real-time forecasting enables communities to anticipate, prepare, and respond with greater precision.
Discover how embracing a unified view of inland and coastal flooding is redefining preparedness, and why the future of resilience depends on understanding how these forces come together before the first drop falls.
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Integrated Inland and Coastal Flood Analysis Applications: Harnessing Real-Time Flood Forecasting for Community Resilience