INFLOWSINTEGRATED FLOOD OBSERVATION AND WARNING SYSTEMWHAT IS IT?

• REAL-TIME DATA COLLECTION AND FLOOD WARNING SYSTEM

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INFLOWSINTEGRATED FLOOD OBSERVATION AND

WARNING SYSTEM

HISTORY• HURRICANE AGNES JUNE 1972. PRECIPITATION WAS 6 INCHES A DAY. JAMES

RIVER VIRGINIA CRESTED 36.5 FEET, HIGHEST IN 200 YEAR (VDEM, 2014). DAMAGE: 1400 HOMES; ROADS, BRIDGES DESTROYED; 13 PEOPLE KILLED; COST OF DAMAGE AMOUNTED TO $325 MILLION.

• DEVASTATING FLOODING OF 1977 AFFECTED KENTUCKY, VIRGINIA AND WEST VIRGINIA. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE (NWS) INITIATED NATIONAL FLASH FLOOD DEVELOPMENT IN 1978, INFLOWS DEVELOPED FROM THIS AS JOINT EFFORT WITH STATES.

• PROTOTYPE STARTED 1980, 12 COUNTIES ON THE APPALACHIAN, SUSCEPTIBILITY TO FLOODING (VDEM, 2014).

• 1985, CONGRESS APPROVED NWS INFLOWS FUNDING; EXPAND TO COVER

BEYOND INITIAL 7 STATES. LINKED AND INTEGRATED DATA AND INFORMATION THROUGH 250 COMPUTERS; 1500 SENSORS; 12 STATES AND 120 COUNTIES.

INFLOWSINTEGRATED FLOOD OBSERVATION AND

WARNING SYSTEM

OBJECTIVES:

STRENGTHEN STATE’S MITIGATION CAPACITY

REDUCE: LOSS OF LIFE PROPERTY DAMAGE LIMIT DISRUPTION OF ECONOMIC

ACTIVITIES

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INFLOWSINTEGRATED FLOOD OBSERVATION AND

WARNING SYSTEM

HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS• COMPOSED OF NETWORK:

SENSORSo STREAM GAUGE: PRESSURE TRANSDUCER,

RESERVOIR. DEPTH TRANSMITTED VHFo RAIN GAUGE: PIPE, SCREENED FUNNEL, TIPPING

BUCKET, 0.04 INCH, COUNTS TRANSMITTED VHF POWER SOURCE: SOLAR POWER TWO-WAY RF COMMUNICATIONS (TRANSMITTER,

REPEATER, RECEIVER), SOFTWARE (OS AND DATABASE) HARDWARE (COMPUTERS SYSTEMS)

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INFLOWSINTEGRATED FLOOD OBSERVATION AND

WARNING SYSTEMHOW THE SYSTEM WORKS

• NOTE:

• HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE DEPLOYED FROM DIFFERENT VENDORS.

• PRIVATELY OWNED AND RUN SYSTEMS CAN BE ALLOWED READ-ONLY ACCESS FROM INFLOWS NETWORK (INSTITUTIONS, RESEARCHERS, AGENCIES).

IMAGES FROM HTTPS://S.CAMPBELLSCI.COM/DOCUMENTS/US/CASE-STUDIES/53VIRGINIA-ALERT1.PDF

INFLOWSINTEGRATED FLOOD OBSERVATION AND

WARNING SYSTEMVIRGINIA INFLOWS

JOINT PROGRAM:• NWS AND VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT (VDEM) AND

LOCAL AUTHORITIES. ROLES NWS

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT, NATIONALLY FUNDING (SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATION DESIGN, CAPITAL

COSTS (COMPUTERS, TRANSMITTERS, SENSORS, RAIN GAUGES ETC.). VDEM

PROGRAM MANAGER AND ASSISTANT (COORDINATION) O & M OF CENTRAL COMPUTERS

LOCAL AUTHORITIES FLASH FLOOD COORDINATOR PREMISES FOR COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN

INFLOWSINTEGRATED FLOOD OBSERVATION AND

WARNING SYSTEM

VIRGINIA INFLOWS 35 LOCAL AUTHORITIES

282 RAIN SENSORS

80 STREAM SENSORS

 

PROTOCOL

DATA TRANSMITTED REAL-TIME TO COUNTY LOCATIONS COMPUTERS. DATA PROCESSED AND (VDEM, 2014).

OPTIONS

STAND ALONE

INTEGRATED; SEND INFLOWS DATABASES BY VSP MICROWAVE SYSTEM, STATE & NATIONALLY

INFLOWSINTEGRATED FLOOD OBSERVATION AND

WARNING SYSTEM

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED INFLOWS

LOCATION

• RAPIDAN RIVER AT ROUTE 29

• ROBINSON RIVER AT ROUTE 29

INFLOWSINTEGRATED FLOOD OBSERVATION AND

WARNING SYSTEM

INFLOWS LIMITATIONSCOST (PURCHASE, INSTALLATION, O & M)

TECHNOLOGY CHANGE

FAILURE (CALIBRATION, DISTURBANCE-CAUSED)

REFERENCE

Virginia Department of Emergency Management, 2014. Integrated Flood Observing and Warning Systems (IFLOWS). Web site

http://www.vaemergency.gov/content/integrated-flood-observing-and-warning-systems-iflows

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2013. Upper and Middle Rappahannock River Report 2013. http://www.nao.usace.army.mil/Portals/31/docs/business/FPMS/PASDocuments/App_A_4a.pdf