Is your home in a flood zone?
Flood analysis in the city of Abbotsford, BC
About the storymap
Faster River basin located in B.C. is one of the largest river basins in Western Canada. The average temperature of Fraser River is 11°C, and the average monthly precipitation is around 66.5 mm (Timeanddate.com, 2021). Due to climate change, the precipitation level in B.C. has been increasing in recent years. This has resulted in multiple flooding events alongside of the Fraser river, and increasing the threat to populations who live there. Just in the past year in 2021, the city of Abbotsford has experienced the largest flooding event in decades, causing about $2 billion dollars in damages and leaving many injuries. Therefore, it is important for the home owners to know the risk levels of their home to future flooding events in Abbotsford, and how to safely evacuate during a flood. Furthermore, the officials will need to know the risk levels as well for developing a more sustainable city development plan.
Esri App challenge 2022
The City of Abbotsford
Area: 375.6 km²
Population: 149,928
Population density: 399 residents per km²
Floods are common in Abbotsford and can happen any time of the year. The most severe floods usually happen in spring and early summer due to heavy rain and melting snow (Abbotsford.ca). Also, the ongoing climate change has increased the temperature and sea levels which eventually increase the flood risks. Thus, it is significant for residents to be prepared for future flooding events and increase the resistance of the community.
What should you do before a flood?
- Check if your home in the high-risk flood area
- Check the potential evacuation route and assembly point (community centre)
- Prepare personal emergency supply kits for your home, car and work
- Plan for at least a three-day (72hrs) supply for food and water for each family member
- Keep important papers collected in a grab-and-go location or scan and email to yourself
- Consider arrangements for your pets and any livestock
How to use the web app?
- Click on Direction: This feature allows users to find the best route between two points on map. Users can also input locations by using their current location or entering addresses.
- Click on Analysis:
- This feature contains two sub-functions allowing users to perform more analysis based on their needs.
- The first function is "buffer", users can create buffers around area of their interests, for instance distance buffer around the hospital or the evacuation centres.
- Click on Near me:
- This feature can assist users to find the near-by evacuation centres by pining a point on map or using their current locations. This feature can also provide the fastest travel route from the user's location to the near by evacuation centres.
What you should do if you must evacuate?
- Always follow the instruction of local emergency officials
- Ensure each family member has waterproof clothing and footwear
- Lock all doors and windows and ensure gas, eletricity and water are shut off
- Keep disaster reponse routes clear
- Do not drive into flood areas. Check on the road condition at DriveBC
What you should do after a flood?
- Check if the water supply is safe to drink at the Fraser Health Website .
- Avoid floodwaters since it may be contaminated or electrically charged
- Return home only when authorities indicate it is safe
- Contact insurance and utility companies
Other flood resources
Meet the team
Lingxuan Fan (Left), Xilin Wan, Lan Qing Zhao (Right)
Lingxuan is a fourth-year undergraduate student in geographic information science major. She is interested in GIS and human geography research. During her free time, she likes going to the gym and cooking.
Xilin Wan: Xilin is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Global Environmental Systems with certificates in Geographic Information Science and Computing Studies at Simon Fraser University. She is looking forward to starting graduate studies this September and working with Geographic information systems in different fields. During her free time, Xilin enjoys hiking, painting and cooking.
Lan Qing Zhao: Lan Qing is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Physical Geography and Spatial Information Science. He also completed a certificate in GIScience, and is expected to start his MSc in Spatial Modeling & Analysis in Fall. Outside of school, Lan Qing enjoys acting, filming, music and basketball.
