Abstract
Large parts of the Netherlands lie below sea-level, and the hazard of large-scale floods leading to extensive damage and loss of life is always present. Existing methods to estimate potential numbers of casualties are based on limited empirical data and do not account for evacuation. In this paper a framework for the estimation of loss of life caused by floods is proposed. The method considers different hazard zones in the flooded area and includes the effect of evacuation during the flood. It is applied in two case studies representing a river and a coastal flood in the Central Holland area. The study shows that the possibilities for evacuation during the flood on the number of fatalities depend on the characteristics of the flood, especially celerity of the flood wave, and the location of densely populated areas in relation to the dike break location. Secondly the study shows that contrary to what is generally believed, river floods in the Netherlands may cause a large number of fatalities
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Asselman, N., Jonkman, S. (2007). A Method to Estimate Loss of Life Caused by Large-Scale Floods in the Netherlands. In: Begum, S., Stive, M.J.F., Hall, J.W. (eds) Flood Risk Management in Europe. Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research, vol 25. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4200-3_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4200-3_9
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