Flood Factor

A First Street Foundation Tool

 

Tool Guidance and Evaluation from GLISA

Note: the materials and tutorial video below were created in Februrary 2021.  The tool has since changed its name and functionality, so these guidance materials may no longer reflect the current tool.  It is now ‘Risk Factor’ to reflect the inclusion of heat and fire risk, in addition to flood risk.

Background

The purpose of the First Street Foundation Flood Factor tool is to make flood risk information accessible, understandable, and usable by defining present and future flood risks at the property level. Information from this tool is meant to be used in conjunction with other available resources such as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood maps. The tool includes analysis of flooding due to rain, overbank flooding of rivers, tidal flooding, and storm surge.

Many practitioners we work with in the Great Lakes region utilize tools like Flood Factor, but require more guidance on how to use them and implement the data and information into their planning.  GLISA has created a guidance document and tutorial video based on our experience as a potential user.  These resources are intended to help other users in the Great Lakes region to better understand this tool and its potential applications. This document and video were created by GLISA for public use and are not affiliated with Flood Factor in any way.

 

Go to tool: floodfactor.com

 

Guidance Document

Tutorial Video

Video recorded by Erin Maher, GLISA Research Assistant, in February 2021.

For questions contact Kim Channell (kimchann@umich.edu)