FLOOD02918

• County: Denver
• Community: Denver
• Stream Name: South Platte River
• Basin: South Platte
• Title: Estimation of Flood Depth-Damage Curves for Residential, Commercial and Industrial Properties in the Denver Region
• Date: 10/1/1977
• Prepared For: CWCB
• Prepared By: Wayne J. Grahm ‎(Master of Science Candidate at CSU)‎
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

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for residential and small commercial structures. The curves appear to be

.identical to those published in the Soil Conversation Service's ~VP Technical

Guide No. 21, (The curves included in EWP Technical Guide No. 21 were devel-

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oped by the Baltimore Corps, thus it is logical that they are the same.)

Values and prices are brought up-to-date from 1963 by using the building

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construction index of the Engineering News Record, They are, however, hesi-

tant in using the curves because the index has increased 2~ to 3 times since

1963. For large commercial or industrial concerns, the Baltimore District

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.conducts an interview to determine damages, The individual contacted said

.that flood damage estimating is an "art rather than a science".

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The methods being used by the Philadelphia Corps for estimating damage

was not determined. It was learned, however, that the firm of Gilbert

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Associates, Inc., under contract, conducted interviews with owners and man-

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~gers of residential, commercial, and industrial properties throughout the

Schuylkill River Basin in the fall of 1972. The purpose was to assess damages

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that resulted from hurrican Agnes flooding of 1972. Random sampling methods

were used in determining residential damages whereas, all affected business

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and industrial concerns were visited. (Gilbert Associates, Inc., 1972) Depth

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and Total Damage Curves were developed for all properties surveyed. While

generalized curves were not developed by the Corps using this data, it might

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be possible to synthesize depth-damage curves using data contained on the

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detailed flood damage survey sheets. As in almost all damage surveys, there is

some inherent error due to different methods being used and backgrounds of

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the different surveyors,

The St, Paul District uses residential depth-damage curves that were

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developed in 1959 and updated in 1963 and 1974. The curves give damage to

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