TRACK 1, DAY 2
Cultivating Community Resilience and Adaptation through Flood Risk Assessments
Thursday, March 27, 2025 | 3:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. | Hall A
ABSTRACT
As more and more communities experience flooding as a result of record-breaking rainfall events, local decision-makers are increasingly concerned with questions related to preparedness, resilience, infrastructure, and resource management.
Local decision-makers are asking, What areas are most vulnerable to flooding from extreme precipitation? Which populations or neighborhoods are most at risk? What is needed to address aging infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, stormwater systems, and dams?
Local decision-makers are asking these types of questions in order to develop proactive strategies that address immediate risks and build long-term resilience against the growing impacts of climate change.
In this presentation we will demonstrate how flood risk assessments for the City of Rochester, Minnesota and the Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District informed stormwater management solutions that addressed infrastructural, social and environmental needs.
Both assessments included an evaluation of drainage system performance under existing and projected rainfall conditions while characterizing exacerbated risk to socially vulnerable populations.
For those portions of the system that appear to be capacity limited, the city evaluated the impacts of these deficiencies on its susceptibility to inundation and flood damage.
The consequences of these deficiencies were further evaluated by developing risk profiles for infrastructural, societal, and environmental factors, which were used to prioritize what and where drainage system improvements are most needed to increase climate adaptation and resilience equitably across the city and the watershed district’s priority areas.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Bill Yu, Emmons & Olivier Resources
Bill Yu is an Engineer-in-Training specializing in low impact development (LID) hydrologic and water quality modeling, simulation, and layout planning.
With four years of experience, he is skilled in flood risk analysis, LID-BMPs design, H&H model development, and GIS-based tool creation. His expertise spans municipal infrastructure design and construction, including environmental compliance, drainage planning, roadway development, and stormwater management.
Bill’s background in civil and water resources engineering, combined with hands-on experience in coding, modeling, and sustainable development, equips him with a versatile skill set to provide innovative engineering solutions.