Name
Building Resilience Through Flood Hazard Mapping across the City of Pass Christian
Date & Time
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Description

Flooding is one of the most frequent and destructive natural hazards affecting coastal communities worldwide. Pass Christian, a coastal city in Harrison County, Mississippi, faces heightened flood risk due to its geographic location, low-lying topography, and exposure to tropical storms and heavy rainfall. This project aims to develop a flood hazard map for Pass Christian using a GIS-based multi-criteria approach, integrating key environmental and spatial datasets, including digital elevation, precipitation, slope, proximity to water bodies, and land cover. Each factor was reclassified, weighted, and combined using weighted overlay analysis to identify zones of low, moderate, and high flood susceptibility. The study showed that areas with relatively higher rainfall and proximity to open water are more susceptible to flooding, indicating that flooding across this area is driven by multiple processes (i.e., coastal and surface runoff). However, most of the region falls within a moderate-risk zone, with only a few areas classified as low-risk. The resulting flood hazard map provides crucial insights for urban planning, flood mitigation, and disaster preparedness. Additionally, this study offers a transferable framework for assessing flood risk in other vulnerable coastal regions and supports broader efforts to strengthen community resilience against future flooding events.

Location Name
Lower exhibit hall
Is presenter a student?
Yes