  Flooding due to Hurricane Florence led to billions of dollars in damage and
nearly a hundred deaths in North Carolina. These damages and fatalities can be
avoided with proper prevention and preparation. Modelling such flooding events
can provide insight and precaution based on principles of fluid dynamics and
GIS technology. Using topography and other geographic data from USGS, HEC-RAS
can solve the Shallow Water Equations over flooding areas to assist the study
of inundation patterns. Simulation results from HEC-RAS agree with observations
from NOAA in the flooding area studied. Modeled results from specific locations
affected by Hurricane Florence near Neuse River, NC are compared with
observations. While overall pattern of inundation is agreeable between model
results and observations, there are also differences at very specific
locations. Higher resolution topography data and precipitation data over the
flooding area may improve the simulation result and reduce the differences.
