Remote Sensing Based Rapid Assessment of Flood Crop Damage Using Novel Disaster Vegetation Damage Index (DVDI)

Accurate crop-specific damage assessment immediately after flood events is crucial for grain pricing, food policy, and agricultural trade. The main goal of this research is to estimate the crop-specific damage that occurs immediately after flood events by using a newly developed Disaster Vegetation Damage Index (DVDI). By incorporating the DVDI along with information on crop types and flood inundation extents, this research assessed crop damage for three case-study events: Iowa Severe Storms and Flooding (DR 4386), Nebraska Severe Storms and Flooding (DR 4387), and Texas Severe Storms and Flooding (DR 4272). Crop damage is assessed on a qualitative scale and reported at the county level for the selected flood cases in Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas. More than half of flooded corn has experienced no damage, whereas 60% of affected soybean has a higher degree of loss in most of the selected counties in Iowa. Similarly, a total of 350 ha of soybean has moderate to severe damage whereas corn has a negligible impact in Cuming, which is the most affected county in Nebraska. A total of 454 ha of corn are severely damaged in Anderson County, Texas. More than 200 ha of alfalfa have moderate to severe damage in Navarro County, Texas. The results of damage assessment are validated through the NDVI profile and yield loss in percentage. A linear relation is found between DVDI values and crop yield loss. An R² value of 0.54 indicates the potentiality of DVDI for rapid crop damage estimation. The results also indicate the association between DVDI class and crop yield loss.