David Brandes, “Understanding the ‘100-year’ flood on our Changing Planet”

Prof. David Brandes, Civil & Environmental Engineering and Environmental Science & Environmental Studies, “Understanding the ‘100-year’ flood on our Changing Planet.” 

The lecture will address questions such as what exactly are the 100-year flood and FEMA floodplain maps? We will describe the process by which floods are quantified and mapped and discuss inherent uncertainties in the process.  We will also explore the likely impacts of changing land use and changing precipitation patterns on the 100-yr flood, and discuss some of the latest developments in federal flood policy.

The talk is included in “Confluence”  a wide ranging series of lectures, films, performances associated with rivers presented by campus departments and programs. Presented in conjunction with the Grossman Gallery exhibition Breach by Los Angeles based artist Alison Saar. Her paintings and mixed media sculpture weave narratives informed by the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927, sourcing inspiration from historical documentation, mythology, poetry, and music.

Photo: Sept. 19, 2004, Bushkill St. at 4th St., Easton.