INSYDE-BE: Adaptation of the INSYDE model to the Walloon region (Belgium)

The spatial transfer of flood damage models among regions and countries is a challenging but unavoidable approach for performing flood risk assessments in data- and model-scarce regions. In these cases, similarities and differences between the contexts of application should be considered to obtain reliable damage estimations, and, in some cases, the adaptation of the original model to the new conditions is required. This study exemplifies a replicable procedure for the adaptation to the Belgian context of a multi-variable, synthetic flood damage model for the residential sector originally developed for Italy (INSYDE). The study illustrates necessary amendments in model assumptions, especially regarding default input values for the hazard and building parameters and damage functions describing the modeled damage mechanisms.