On the implementation of the French methodology for flood damage assessment to economic activities.

Abstract

Flood damage assessment to economic activities is affected by a general paucity of data to both describe the strong diversity that characterises this sector and validate existing flood damage models. This study aims to assess the applicability, the validity, and the transferability of the methodology for the estimation of flood damage to economic activities developed in France by the working group GT AMC, led by the Ministry of Environment. The method was tested in two case studies: the flood that affected the Île-de-France Region in 2016 and the 2002 flood in the city of Lodi, Italy. Flood damage estimates were compared to observed losses in order to appraise their uncertainty range, to define a methodology of application that reduces such an error, and to supply an evaluation of the methodology transferability.