Even after wildfire devastates a community, a lingering threat remains. Soil and vegetation changes caused by wildfire damage amplify the risk of post-wildfire flooding and debris flows.
It is a threat experts will be watching closely this year, as forecasts predict both a more active wildfire season this summer and El Niño conditions that could bring higher rainfall totals this fall.
ERDC researchers have spent years studying this phenomenon and have developed models that accurately capture the unique physics and help communities better prepare for and mitigate this potential danger.
On this episode, we discuss how ERDC is helping USACE protect communities from these post-wildfire floods. Our guests are Dr. Travis Dahl, a senior research hydraulic engineer at ERDC’s Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), and Dr. Ian Floyd, a research physical scientist at CHL.
Topics include what makes this a unique and important challenge (2:03), lessons learned from past wildfire seasons (7:02), and how the team is transitioning its knowledge to reduce flood risk in wildfire-stricken communities (14:00). We also discuss other ways ERDC is supporting wildfire preparedness, response and recovery (17:58); recent projects in support of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers districts and divisions (29:48); and how this research also supports the military (24:49).
Watch a video of this podcast at PowerofERDCPodcast.org/66-post-wildfire-flooding_video.
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