Publicly Available Data-Based Flood Risk Assessment Methodology: A Case Study for a Floodplain in Poland

Flood risk assessment is used to estimate the expected consequences and probability of a flood. It leads to the strengthening of resilience through appropriate preparation for an event of a specific scale. The methodology described in this paper was developed by the authors for the purposes of flood risk assessment in Poland, introduced to and applied on an actual example. It is based on simple calculations and a comparison of the results with a template. All of the data required for calculation came from freely available sources. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of the flood risk assessment methodology in improving construction safety and identifying the factors that influence its implementation. The approach presented in this article is based on implementation of the parameters of floods, describing the characteristics of the exposed area and human vulnerability, among other factors, to the national risk assessment methodology, and then using it to determine the directions of activities aimed at reducing the risk of flooding. Simultaneously, assessment of these parameters might not be related directly to flood threats, but rather to the broader approach to risk assessment, including other threats. As a result of the application of the described methodology, it was estimated that the flood risk in the studied area is catastrophic, which requires immediate decisions of people responsible for safety.