Rapid flood risk screening model for compound flood events in Beira, Mozambique

Abstract. Coastal cities combine intensive socio-economic activity and investments with high exposure to flood hazards. Developing effective strategies to manage flood risk in coastal cities is often a costly and complicated process. In the design of these strategies, engineers rely on computationally demanding flood simulation models and only compare a few strategies due to computational constraints. This limits the efficacy of standard flood simulation models in the crucial conceptual phase of flood risk management. This paper presents the Flood Risk Reduction Evaluation and Screening (FLORES)-model, which specifically aims to provide useful risk information early on in the planning process. FLORES performs numerous quick simulations and compares the impact of many storms, strategies, and future scenarios. This article presents the screening model and demonstrates its merits in a case study for Beira, Mozambique. Our results demonstrate that expansion of the drainage capacity and strengthening of its coastal protection in the southwest, are crucial components of any effective flood risk management strategy for Beira.