Flood Risk and Vulnerability of Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia

Coastal cities are often vulnerable and subject to the risks associated with floods, hence the need to sensitize decision-makers on the threats posed by climate hazards and uncontrolled urbanization. This study is part of this logic and aims to identify and map the flood zones of the city of Jeddah in order to reduce their vulnerability and to integrate them into the strategies of prevention and fight against the risks of flooding. The recent floods in 2009 and 2011 have caused heavy human and material losses that will permanently mark the collective memory of the inhabitants of the city. The multisource and diachronic data used as well as the methodology adopted made it possible to perform a multi-criteria spatial analysis by combining optical satellite imagery and radar DEM, topographic and geological maps, rainfall records, and available statistical data. Thus, risk factors have been identified and combined to understand and appreciate the gravity of recent disasters and provide planners and decision-makers with tools to assist in the effective and adequate management of the ever-changing urban space, in a context of climate change and increased anthropogenic pressure on coastal cities.