Flood Damage Assessment Using River Water Levels – A Case Study of a Town Located in the North Mazovian Lowland (Poland)

Flooding is a very dangerous phenomenon, causing both direct and indirect damage. The preventive actions result from the awareness of the danger and consequences of floods. In the affected areas, an important stage of management includes preventing and minimizing losses. The article presents a method for estimating the flood losses using flood hazard maps and taking into account the updated prices. Particular emphasis was placed on different risk levels of risk that are due to a flood in the examined location. The analysis was performed for the city through which three rivers flow. The generally available flood hazard maps in the Computerized National Protection System (Polish acr. ISOK), which include the information on the depth of the floodwater and land use classes, help estimate the financial losses. The research has shown that the greatest material losses caused by flooding are usually incurred in residential areas. On the basis of the results obtained, it was also determined that asset revaluation with time has a significant impact on the level of estimated losses. The article uses the methodology implemented in the Flood Risk Maps, which present the negative consequences for the population and the scope of flood losses. The results were compared with the author’s interpretation.