The $1 Billion Dollar Flood Disasters of 2016 (Invited Presentation)

The U.S. endured six separate billion dollar extreme rainfall and flooding events in FY16 resulting in $17.5 Billion in damages and 124 fatalities (Figure below). Hurricane Matthew adds to the total, representing the first of the new fiscal year. This past fiscal year was one of the wettest periods over the CONUS in recent history. The events show how the nation is increasingly vulnerable to extreme rainfall and subsequent flooding, especially as extreme rainfall events increase in frequency. Further, the nation’s infrastructure (culverts, roads, etc.) is not built to this new normal, exacerbating impacts. However, the NWS’s integrated field structure is leveraging improved prediction of such events to mitigate loss of life and property.