From Perception to Preparedness: Virtual Reality Simulations of Flooded Roadways in Coastal Communities

Coastal flooding regularly disrupts transportation networks, damages infrastructure, and limits access to essential services through storm surge, tidal inundation, and extreme precipitation. These events result in vehicle failures, stranded motorists, pavement damage, and delays in emergency response and daily mobility. Communities with aging infrastructure, limited resources, or constrained evacuation options face heightened vulnerability. The total annual economic burden of flooding in the U.S. ranges from $179.8 to $496.0 billion (US Congress JEC, 2024). In addition, the National Weather Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that over half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous floodwater. Understanding how drivers decide whether to cross or avoid flooded roads is essential for designing warnings, signage, and roadway treatments that reduce risky behavior and improve outcomes. 

The use of virtual reality (VR) and immersive 360° scenarios can let residents experience rising water, blocked routes, and mitigation measures without real-world risk, increasing realism and emotional stimulus. Scenario-based VR visualizations can help translate technical flood data into intuitive, actionable information for nontechnical audiences. Local resilience depends not only on infrastructure but also on household-level preparedness and decision-making, including how individuals interpret alerts and respond to flood risks.