Modeling of a compound flood induced by the levee breach at Qianbujing Creek, Shanghai, during Typhoon Fitow

Levee-breach-induced flooding occurs occasionally but always causes considerable losses. A serious flood event occurred due to the collapse of a 15 m long levee section in Qianbujing Creek, Shanghai, China, during Typhoon Fitow in October 2013. Heavy rainfall associated with the typhoon intensified the flood severity (extent and depth). This study investigates the flood evolution to understand the dynamic nature of flooding and the compound effect using a well-established 2D hydro-inundation model (FloodMap) to reconstruct this typical event. This model coupled urban hydrological processes with flood inundation for high-resolution flood modeling, which has been applied in a number of different environments, and FloodMap is now the mainstream numerical simulation model used for flood scenarios. Our simulation results provide a comprehensive view of the spatial patterns of the flood evolution. The worst-hit areas are predicted to be low-lying settlements and farmland. Temporal evaluations suggest that the most critical time for flooding prevention is in the early 1–3 h after dike failure. In low-elevation areas, temporary drainage measures and flood defenses are equally important. The validation of the model demonstrates the reliability of the approach.

A levee breach induced by internal erosion in Western Australia.

This case study presents a levee breach induced by piping erosion under cyclonic conditions in 2019. The levee is a 2.5 m high, 500 m long, mass earth fill embankment; with no cut-off trench, core, or ancillary structures. Located near Port Hedland on the north coast of Western Australia; its purpose is diversionary, to redirect cyclonic surface water away from the nearby Great Northern Highway. The levee was founded directly on Alluvium in 1987; and formed of locally sourced clayey sandy gravel. In 2003, the levee was partially excavated to enable the placement of a buried pipeline through the levee.Following a cyclonic event in 2019, a 27 m length of the levee breached, resulting in significant scour of the foundation and downstream soil. A site visit and investigation were conducted shortly thereafter, where in situ testing and laboratory soil tests on the levee and foundation materials were conducted.Analysis of the site observations and laboratory testing data led to the probable failure mechanism being theorised as having been initiated within the foundation by piping erosion within sand-rich beds of Alluvium. The large quantity of water ponding upstream of the levee then caused a progressive washout and breach of the levee.Thematic collection: This article is part of the Role of water in destabilizing slopes collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/Role-of-water-in-destabilizing-slopes

Levee breach-induced compound flood modeling in Qianbujing Creek, Shanghai during Typhoon "Fitow"

Levee breach-induced flooding occurs occasionally but always causes considerable losses. A serious flood event occurred due to the collapse of a 15-m-long levee section in Qianbujing Creek, Shanghai, China, during typhoon "Fitow" in Oct, 2013. Heavy rainfall associated with the typhoon intensified the flood severity (extent and depth). This study investigates the flood evolution to understand the dynamic nature of flooding and the compound effect using a well-established 2D hydro-inundation model (Floodmap) to reconstruct this typical event. Our simulation results provide a comprehensive view of the spatial patterns of the flood evolution. The worst-hit areas are predicted to be low-lying settlement and farmland. Temporal evaluations suggest that the most critical time for flooding prevention is in the early hours after dike failure. In low-elevation areas, temporary drainage measures and flood defenses are equally important. The validation of the model demonstrates the reliability of the approach.

Levee breach-induced compound flood modeling in Qianbujing Creek, Shanghai during Typhoon “Fitow”

Levee breach-induced flooding occurs occasionally but always causes considerable losses. A serious flood event occurred due to the collapse of a 15-m-long levee section in Qianbujing Creek, Shanghai, China, during typhoon “Fitow” in Oct, 2013. Heavy rainfall associated with the typhoon intensified the flood extent. This study investigates the flood evolution to understand the dynamic nature of flooding and the compound effect using a well-established 2D hydro-inundation model (Floodmap) to reconstruct this typical event. Our simulation results provide a comprehensive view of the spatial patterns of the flood evolution. The worst-hit areas are predicted to be low-lying farmland. Temporal evaluations suggest that the most critical time for flooding prevention is in the early hours after dike failure. In low-elevation areas, temporary drainage measures and flood defenses are equally important. The validation of the model demonstrates the reliability of the approach.

Flood Hazard Assessment for the Tori Levee Breach of the Indus River Basin, Pakistan

Levee breaches are some of the most common hazards in the world and cause the loss of lives, livelihoods, and property destruction. During the 2010 flood in Pakistan, the most devastating breach occurred at Tori Levee on the right bank of the Indus River, downstream of the Guddu Barrage, which caused residual floods in northern Sindh and the adjoining regions of the Balochistan province. In this study, 2D unsteady flow modeling performed for Tori Levee breach computed residual flood inundation by coupling a HEC-RAS (Hydrological Engineering Centre—River Analysis System) 2D hydraulic model with remote sensing and Geographic Information System techniques. The model performance was judged by comparing the observed and simulated water levels (stage) during peak flow at seven different gauging stations located within the Indus River reach and daily flood extents and multi-day composites. The quantitative values for the calibration and validation of the HEC-RAS model showed good performance with a range of difference from 0.13 to −0.54 m between the simulated and observed water levels (stage), 84% match for the maximum flood inundation area, and 73.2% for the measure of fit. The overall averages of these values for the daily flood comparison were 57.12 and 75%, respectively. Furthermore, the simulated maximum flow passed through the Tori Levee breach, which was found to be 4994.47 cumecs (about 15% of peak flow) with a head water stage of 71.56 m. By using the simulated flows through the Tori Levee breach, the flood risk maps for the 2010 flood identified hazard zones according to the flood characteristics (depth, velocity, depth times velocity, arrival time, and duration). All the flood risk maps concluded the fact that the active flood plain was uninhabitable under flood conditions.

Mechanisms of Flood-Induced Levee Breaching in Marumori Town during the 2019 Hagibis Typhoon

Typhoon Hagibis, which occurred at the beginning of October 2019, was one of the largest and most powerful tropical cyclones and was considered to be the most devastating typhoon to hit Japan in recorded history. Extreme heavy rainfall caused massive impacts to Japan in general and to Marumori Town, Miyagi Prefecture in particular. In the present study, the detailed flood characteristics at Marumori Town were investigated by using field observation and numerical simulations. The obtained data immediately after the flood has clearly shown that most levee breaches were caused by the water overflow on the river embankment at the constriction areas such as the tributaries’ junction and the intersection of the river embankment. Numerical simulations were performed to investigate the mechanism of levee breaching in Marumori Town. According to the simulation results, the flooding water from the upstream levee breach locations flowed into the paddy field area and caused the levee to breach at the river embankment interaction in the downstream area. A new levee breach criterion in terms of overflow depth and its duration on the river embankment was proposed. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was also performed to understand the effect of the backwater and phase lag of water level rise between the mainstream and tributaries. Although there have been many studies on flood disasters, the typhoon’s flood-induced disasters on the river and coastal infrastructures have still remained a big challenge. The present study outcomes provide useful information not only to understand how the river embankment of tributaries is vulnerable to water level rise, but also to support the river authorities to prepare better mitigation plans for future flood disasters.