Date: Thursday, July 10, 2025 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET

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ASCE SPONSORED WEBINAR provided by Fathom | A step-by-step guide to identifying and addressing underestimations in US flood risk

Flood risk is increasing. Has your state’s flood data coverage kept up? 

Across the US, the landscape of floodplain management and water resource planning is shifting rapidly. As the cost of catastrophic flood events grows, regulations tighten and investment in resilience comes under greater scrutiny, the need for accurate, actionable flood data is more critical than ever.

Yet many public agencies, engineers and resilience professionals are not fully informed around the gaps in the flood data they rely on. In a recent survey, we found that only 21% of respondents said they had high confidence in their flood data. More than a third reported below-average confidence in their current datasets.

This uncertainty can lead to costly mistakes in permitting, infrastructure investment and community planning.

So, where should you begin? Start by asking:

  • What is your current flood map coverage?
  • Does your provider meet the latest ASCE flood hazard mapping standards?
  • Is publicly available data truly suitable for your specific use case?

Join this expert-led webinar to get the answers
In this one-hour session, we’ll guide you through how to assess the quality, coverage and relevance of your current flood data. You’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of the limitations of public data, the strengths and tradeoffs of private alternatives and the tools needed to close the gap.

We’ll cover:

  1. How good is public (or your current) flood data?
  2. How to assess flood data quality and what to look for
  3. Validation and why it matters
  4. Public vs. private: Is it all or nothing?
  5. Case study: How private data shaped long-term investment decisions

    This webinar is designed to serve as a practical starting point for professionals working in water management, infrastructure and public planning. Throughout the session, our team will outline what tools you should add to your belt, including what freely available resources already exist to help you get started. These include:
  • US Flood Risk Index
    A free interactive tool that provides at-a-glance map coverage and exposure information for each state.
  • Flood risk snapshot 
    1-1 personalized risk snapshot for a specific location (on request).
  • Questions to ask your flood modeler 
    A comprehensive guide to evaluating flood data sources and models. Includes expert-backed questions that help you distinguish between essential features and misleading claims.

Speakers

  • Professor Paul Bates, CBE FRS, Chairman at Fathom and 2025 Ven Te Chow Award winner

  • Peter Slater, Aff.M.ASCE, Engineering Markets Specialist at Fathom