For each area and for each detected event inside old town basin, information about water levels has been retrieved. Any images or any frames have been analyzed to find objects or elements allowing the estimation of water heights with sufficient approximation. The limitation of this type of procedure mainly consists in the difficulty of this operation; there are not always present measurable objects. Moreover, even in the presence of any water level determined in an absolutely correct way, it is still representative of an instant and may not be the maximum reached in that area. However these data types are very useful for the study of event dynamics, for their easy retrieval, and to understand people response to a critical event.
Table 5.1 shows information about the date of the event image, the place, the water level, the source and the object that was used as a reference for estimating water level.
Table 5.1: Flood report for the old town of Palermo.
Date 24/09/2008 Site Corso Re Ruggero Water
level
30 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e DhMWJUovro
Reference object
Bus license plate
Date 31/10/2008 Site corso Re Ruggero Water
level
30 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b 6UXVmwx_cc
Reference object
Sidewalk on the left
Date 14/09/2009 Site corso Calatafimi Water
level
< 5 cm
Source Palermo today photo:
http://www.palermotoday.it/foto/cron aca/primo-acquazzone-la-citta-si- allaga/corso-calatafimi.html Reference
object
Date 19/09/2009
Site via Roma-angolo via Mariano Stabile Water
level
< 5 cm
Source La Prima Pagina photo: http://www.laprimapagina.it/2011/09/ 19/allagamenti-a-palermo-a-tutto- c%E2%80%99e-un-perche/ Reference
object
Sidewalk on the left
Date 21/09/2009 Site Via Imera Water
level
150 cm
Source La Repubblica newspaper article:
http://palermo.repubblica.it/dettaglio/ancora-pioggia-ed-e-un-inferno- dacqua/1727232
Reference object
―One and a half meter of water in via Imera, where an amphibious vehicle of firefighters has arrived to clean the road "
Date 1/10/2009 Site Via Casa Professa Water
level
7 cm
Source You reporter video:
http://www.youreporter.it/video_Fiu me_di_pioggia_a_Palermo_01ottobre 2009_centro_storico_2 Reference object Fiat 600 Tyre Date 1/10/2009 Site Via Ernesto Basile Water
level
35 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0 iI1SqmNXco
Reference object
Date 1/10/2009 Site Foro Umberto I Water
level
60 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.coc/watch?v=A 7K2zw3RRYK
Reference object
Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta tyres
Date 1/10/2009 Site Corso Re Ruggero Water
level
35 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= Knr0-1yhCB8
Reference object
Sidewalk on the left
Date 1/10/2009
Site Via Gustavo Roccella Water
level
10 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b siPQU42dbE Reference object Sidewalk Date 1/10/2009 Site Via Cappuccini Water
level
10 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v =5ebVyyc3iCI
Reference object
Date 16/10/2009 Site Via Imera Water
level
50 cm
Source You reporter video:
http://www.youreporter.it/video_Pa lermo_allagamenti_per_maltempo_ 16_ottobre_1 Reference object Light pole Date 16/10/2009 Site Via Colonna rotta Water
level
120 cm
Source You reporter video:
http://www.youreporter.it/video_Pa lermo_allagamenti_per_maltempo_ 16_ottobre_1
Reference object
Hole in the wall
Date 16/10/2009
Site via Roma-piazza San Domenico Water
level
10 cm
Source You reporter video:
http://www.youreporter.it/video_L_in credibile_nubifragio_di_Palermo_1 Reference object Sidewalk Date 14/09/2011 Site via Pitrè Water
level
5 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= wS127nKUdfU
Reference object
Date 19/09/2011
Site via Giuseppe albina-piazza Vulpi Water
level
25 cm
Source You reporter video:
http://www.youreporter.it/video_nubi fragio_a_palermo
Reference object
Groove in the wall
Date 10/11/2011
Site corso Calatafimi –Albergo delle Povere
Water level
5 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J cK0ic9yDTc Reference object Sidewalk Date 10/11/2011
Site piazza Indipendenza Water
level
10 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J cK0ic9yDTc Reference object Traffic barrier Date 10/11/2011 Site via Matteo Bonello Water
level
10 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J cK0ic9yDTc
Reference object
Date 03/01/2012 Site corso Re Ruggero Water
level
20 cm
Source BlogSicilia photo:
http://palermo.blogsicilia.it/nubifragi o-a-palermo-disagi-in-citta/72611/ Reference object Garbage trash Date 01/09/2012 Site via Giuseppe Pitrè Water
level
5 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S 9baZzSa3dU Reference object Red wall Date 01/09/2012 Site via Porta di Castro Water
level
5 cm
Source Di Palermo Video blog:
http://www.dipalermo.it/2012/09/07/c he-bello-il-centro-storico-se-ne-stai- alla-larga/ Reference object Sidewalk Date 06/10/2013 Site via Cappuccini Water
level
15 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d -pwsKOXhyE
Reference object
Date 06/10/2013
Site via Giuseppe Albina-piazza Vulpi Water
level
25 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u lQcwZODuas
Reference object
Groove in the wall
Date 06/10/2013 Site piazza Kalsa Water
level
15 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v =xvDyQLhM9gQ Reference object Sidewalk Date 06/10/2013
Site Foro Umberto I- via Lincoln Water
level
35 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v =keaqkYunvxY Reference object Bench Date 06/10/2013 Site corso Re Ruggero Water
level
35 cm
Source La Repubblica newspaper photo: http://palermo.repubblica.it/cronaca /2013/10/05/foto/forte_nubifragio_a _palermo_strade_allagate_e_telefon i_in_tilt-67969754/1/#5 Reference object
Date 11/10/2013 Site Foro Umberto I Water
level
30 cm
Source Corriere del Mezzogiorno photo: http://corrieredelmezzogiorno.corri ere.it/fotogallery/sicilia/2013/10/pal ermo_allagamenti/palermo-nuova- bomba-d2223466680436.shtml#5 Reference object Peugeot 108 bumper Date 11/10/2013 Site Corso Calatafimi Water
level
5 cm
Source Il Meteo photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilmet eo/10207300794/in/photostream/ Reference object Tyre Date 11/10/2013 Site via Cappuccini Water
level
10 cm
Source Youtube video:
http://www.youreporter.it/gallerie/a llagamento_a_palermo/#1 Reference object Sidewalk Date 11/10/2013 Site corso Re Ruggero Water
level
35 cm
Source BlogSicilia photo:
http://palermo.blogsicilia.it/ancora- un-nubifragio-a-palermo-traffico-in- tilt-e-nuovi-allagamenti/213570/ Reference
object
Some examples about water levels estimation by measurements on site are reported below. Often the benchmark was the sidewalk (Figure 5.8 (a)) or other objects of urban furniture (baskets, benches, anti-stopping pallet Figure 5.8 (b)). The most frequent benchmark was semi-underwater car (Figure 5.8 (c)). In some cases signs of flood passage have been found (Figure 5.8 (d)).
Date 11/10/2013 Site via Ernesto Basile Water
level
10 cm
Source You reporter video:
http://www.youreporter.it/video_Dil uvio_a_Palermo_- _via_Ernesto_basile Reference object Tyres Date 11/10/2013
Site Corso Vittorio Emanuele- piazza Marina
Water level
10 cm
Source Corriere del Mezzogiorno photo: http://corrieredelmezzogiorno.corri ere.it/fotogallery/sicilia/2013/10/pal ermo_allagamenti/palermo-nuova- bomba-d-acqua- 2223466680436.shtml#5 Reference object Sidewalk Date 11/10/2013 Site Via Giuseppe Pitrè Water
level
5 cm
Source Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v =vGHo3Lm2sIs
Reference object
. (a) (b)
(c) (d)
Figure 5.8: Water level estimation for sidewalk in via Ernesto Basile (a) and in corso
Vittorio Emanuele II (b), for a house in piazza Danisinni(c) and for a car (d).
Finally a table that reports the number of documented flooding events and available sources of rain is edited (Table 5.2). By analyzing this table, the date 11/10/2013 has been chosen as model calibration event, because it has a substantial number of documented sewer overflowing and a source of distributed rain data. Moreover four sewer overflowing events (01/10/2009, 16/10/2009, 10/11/2011, 06/10/2011) are selected to validate model results.
Table 5.2: Flood events report (G and R stands for rain Gauge and weather Radar;
selected events have been marked in black).