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<br />! <br />[ <br /> <br />;;;; <br />~ <br />, <br />, <br />~ <br />,- <br />" <br /> <br />VARIATIONS OF RESIDENTIAL DEPTH DAMAGE FUNCTIONS <br />USED BY THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS IN FLOOD <br />DAMAGE ESTIMATIONS <br /> <br />~- <br />t <br />f <br />;1- <br />~! <br />~ <br />~ <br /> <br />Lawrence L. skaggs <br />Stuart A. Davis <br /> <br />Abstract <br /> <br />, <br />f <br />I. <br />~ <br />t <br />f: <br /> <br />[. <br /> <br />A depth-damage function is a mathematical relationship between the I <br />depth of flood water above or below the first floor of a building <br />and the amount of damage that can be attributed to that water. The <br />depth-damage relationship is based on the premise that water <br />height, and its relationship to structure height (elevation), is <br />the most important variable in determining thE~ expected value of <br />damage to buildings. Thus the development i:tnd selection of a <br />depth-damage curve, from which the value of property damages are <br />estimated, has a substantial impact in estimating the benefits of <br />flood damage reduction projects. <br /> <br />U.S. Army corps of Engineers (Corps) analys:ts who plan flood <br />control projects use a variety of depth-damagE~ functions. These <br />damage functions include those computed from national data flood <br />damage records, such as the Flood Insurance Administration (FIA) <br />rate reviews, as well as those originally computed on a project- <br />specific basis and now in general Use. The latter may originate <br />from actual post flood surveys or synthetic damage estimates of <br />what damage would occur for several hypothetical levels of <br />flooding. This paper will examine the variations in residential <br />depth-damage functions used by Corps district offices throughout <br />the county. These differences include how the curves are derived, <br />how structure and content values and damages c:tre determined, and <br />variations in building types and flooding characteristics. The <br />paper should help other analysts who perform flood damage estimates <br />to better understand the depth-damage functions used by the Corps <br />and perhaps to carefully consider their existing local damage <br />functions. A broader application would be the benefit to community <br />floodplain officials from considering the extend and kind of damage <br />that might result from various levels of flooding. <br /> <br />i <br />1 <br /> <br />f <br />I <br />I <br />. <br /> <br />! <br />~'< <br />~. <br /> <br />o <br />:~. <br />~: <br /> <br />(' <br />1 <br />