Building’s Vulnerability Assessment to Flood Hazards on Egypt's Mediterranean Coast Using Remote Sensing and Ahp

This study systematically identifies critical flood determinants in Egypt's Nile Delta, focusing on the impacts of Mediterranean Sea-level rise (SLR). Using an integrated RS-GIS approach with Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud computing, we analyze Landsat 8 imagery and SRTM DEM data to derive six key risk parameters: elevation (El), slope (Sl), land use (LU), vegetation index (VI), water index (WI), and soil permeability infiltration level (SPIL). These indices were normalized in ArcMap for enhanced visualization, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied to weight flood hazard indices and generate a spatial risk assessment. Results reveal that the northwestern Nile Delta, particularly Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate along the eastern flank of the Rosetta Nile branch near Burullus Lake, faces the highest flood exposure. This vulnerable coastal zone spans 40 km linear and lies between the Mediterranean shoreline and Lake El-Burullus, encompassing approximately 11,000 buildings at risk of static flooding. The GIS-AHP-based flood hazard mapping highlights high-risk zones, providing critical insights for targeted flood risk management and protective measures in the region.