Reconstructing the 1968 River Chew flash flood: merging a HEC-RAS 2D hydraulic modelling approach with historical evidence

Autor: Ramtin Sabeti, Ioanna Stamataki, Thomas Rodding Kjeldsen
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Geomatics, Natural Hazards & Risk, Vol 15, Iss 1 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 19475705
1947-5713
1947-5705
DOI: 10.1080/19475705.2024.2377655
Popis: The devastating 1968 flash flood in the River Chew, South-West of England, serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of such natural disasters and highlights the importance of natural hazard assessments. The uncertain and often incomplete historical data, and the limited field measurements at the time hindered our understanding of this event. By integrating historical evidence, including technical reports, newspapers, literature, and eyewitness accounts, with advanced hydraulic modelling (HEC-RAS 2D), this study reconstructs the 1968 flash flood. A sensitivity analysis of the computational methodologies in HEC-RAS, examining various governing equations and numerical methods, introduces an additional dimension to this research. The results verify a maximum flow rate of 165 m3/s at the Compton Dando hydrometric station, marking a 65% increase from the previous official estimate. This update aligns with over 90% of the historical flood marks observed. Findings suggest recalibrating hydrological models, revising risk assessments, and updating flood frequency analyses in the study area. This novel framework confronts the challenges of uncertain and incomplete historical records through a reverse engineering methodology to reconstruct missing peak discharges. The study also presents a new methodological blueprint that can be replicated for reconstructing historical flash flood events in various regions.
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