FLOOD03746

• County: Boulder
• Basin: South Platte
• Title: Human Stability in a High Flood Hazard Zone
• Date: 8/1/1989
• Prepared For: CWCB
• Prepared By: David Love & Associates
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

.. ..

Human Stability in a High Flood Hazard Zone

/0
9
8
7
6
5 0
N <It + +
- + +
- 4 + +
0 + 8 !;
Z t> 0
- t> + +
0 3 0
::>
'0 0
0
...
Q. 0 Concrete
-
2 0 Turf
t> Gravl
+ Steel

1
5,000

7,000

9,000
Weight

11,000 13,000 15,000
(Ibs) x Height (inches)

19,000

17,000

Figure 6. Predicted Product Number at Human Subject Instability.

administrators a new alternative to flood plain man-
agement.

CONCLUSIONS

Physical tests of human subjects, even in a con-
trolled laboratory environment, indicated that the abil-
ity ofthe subject to adapt to flood flow conditions is dif-
ficult to quantifY. However, it was possible to use the
product number as a rough indicator or predictor of
human instability. A relationship was developed to ap-
proximate the product number at which a human sub-
ject would become unstable in flood flow conditions
based upon the subject's height and weight,
An analysis was conducted in which the point of in-
stability, and in some cases toppling, could be predicted.

The laboratory tests with a monolith verified the ana-
lytical relationship, However, the product number of
human instability was determined to be 60 to 120 per-
cent greater than the product numbers resulting from
analysis and the monolith tests. The results also indi-
cate that the product number can be used as a rough
measure of high flood hazard to human life.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was funded by the Flood Utility Division, Department
of Public Work., City of Boulder, Colorado, The authors expresa their
sincere appreciation to the many volunteers who served 8S test lub-
jects.

889

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