The relationship between precipitation and insurance data for floods in a Mediterranean region (northeast Spain)

In: Natural hazards and earth system sciences: NHESS, Band 18, Heft 3, S. 857-868

Open Access

Abstract

Abstract. Floods in the Mediterranean region are often surface
water floods, in which intense precipitation is usually the main driver. Determining the link between the causes and impacts of
floods can make it easier to calculate the level of flood risk. However, up
until now, the limitations in quantitative observations for flood-related
damages have been a major obstacle when attempting to analyse flood risk in
the Mediterranean. Flood-related insurance damage claims for the last 20 years
could provide a proxy for flood impact, and this information is now
available in the Mediterranean region of Catalonia, in northeast Spain. This
means a comprehensive analysis of the links between flood drivers and
impacts is now possible. The objective of this paper is to develop and
evaluate a methodology to estimate flood damages from heavy precipitation in
a Mediterranean region. Results show that our model is able to simulate the
probability of a damaging event as a function of precipitation. The
relationship between precipitation and damage provides insights into flood
risk in the Mediterranean and is also promising for supporting flood
management strategies.