Speaker
Description
Heavy rainfall and resulting floods pose an imminent threat to critical infrastructure (CI) (Fekete, 2021). Roads are especially vulnerable, as they might become impassable for cars and emergency vehicles, leading to cascading effects that endanger the function of other critical services (Groenemeijer et al., 2015). Road disruptions present a major challenge for emergency medical service (EMS) Vehicles as they might lead to life-threating delays in the provision of first aid (Benden, 2014).
This research presents a GIS-based methodology to examine the dependencies between flood-induced road disruptions and the emergency medical service coverage. The city of Münster, in which a heavy rainfall event in 2014 has led to the loss of lives and destruction of CI (Frerichs et al., 2015), was a cooperation partner for the study by providing data on flood levels in case of an extreme heavy rainfall event for the city area. The study determined the normal coverage areas of emergency medical services stations by using the ArcGIS Network Analyst and evaluated the flood exposure of critical roads within the fire department’s priority road network in case of an extreme heavy rainfall event. Within the fire department’s priority road network 54 road sections in which the potential flood levels exceed the wading depth of EMS Vehicles were identified. Considering potential flood-induced blockades on all roads accessible to EMS Vehicles, coverage polygons of EMS Stations during extreme rainfall were again determined by using ArcGIS Network Analyst. Based on these polygons and considering municipally designated response time thresholds, the area of Münster was divided into adequately covered and underserved regions.
While under normal conditions about 63% of Münster´s area is adequately covered, only 38% of the cities area is covered in case of an extreme rainfall. Considering population density at the city cell level, the amount of adequately covered population would decrease from circa 236.000 to 167.000 residents during an extreme heavy rainfall event. Under normal conditions suburban centers have lower emergency medical coverage, while the densely populated inner-city areas are generally adequately served. However, during heavy rainfall the coverage level in southern and eastern inner-city districts decrease significantly due to flood-induced road disruption, especially where EMS Stations connections to highly populated districts depend on railroad underpasses.
While further detailed flood simulations for identified neuralgic sections of the road network are recommended, the results can be useful for an evaluation of EMS station locations and future investments in measures that increase resilience. The presented methodology can be adapted for different flood scenarios or vehicle sensitivities, so that emergency infrastructure planning can better align with Münster’s climate adaptation ambitions to ensure the continuity of critical services during extreme weather events.
References
Benden, Jan (2014): Möglichkeiten und Grenzen einer Mitbenutzung von Verkehrsflächen zum Überflutungsschutz bei Starkregenereignissen. Aachen: Institute of Urban and Transport Planning
Fekete, Alexander (2021): Kritische Infrastrukturen und Bevölkerungsschutz bei
Starkregenereignissen. In Schüttrumpf, H. (eds.) Starkregen und Sturzfluten. Essen: EWLW.
Frerichs, Stefan; Kranefeld, Andrea; Noky, Bernd; Oligschläger, Monika; Simon, André (2015): Klimaanpassungskonzept – Ein Schirm für Münster.
Groenemeijer, Pieter (2015): Past Cases of Extreme Weather Impact on Critical Infrastructure in Europe.
| Keywords | Critical Infrastructure resilience, Flood Risks, Network Analyst, Emergency Medical Services |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
