A systematic review of human behaviour in and around floodwater

Abstract

Flooding can have a major impact on people's safety and livelihood. Understanding people's flood-related behaviours may assist in the development of more effective strategies aimed at lessening the impact of floods including mortality and morbidity. This systematic review examined peer-reviewed literature published from January-1989 to April-2019 on human behaviour in and around floodwater to identify behaviour patterns as well as protective and risk factors. We extracted three main themes from a thematic analysis of included studies (N=54): activities and risk-taking behaviours (n=24); loss reduction, knowledge, and warnings (n=37); and diet and hygiene (n=4). This review had limitations which prevented definitive conclusions being made. What does seem apparent is the limited knowledge of the social psychological mechanisms that guide behavioural responses in a flood event. Further exploration of methods to improve preparedness, increase the likelihood of evacuation, and reduce 'risky' behaviour during floods is needed. Future studies should prioritise addressing these gaps to enhance the evidence-base for reducing the impact of floods including floodrelated mortality and morbidity.

Coastal drowning: A scoping review of burden, risk factors, and prevention strategies

“…flood, tsunami, hurricane) or occupational situations involve some specific mechanisms. Many of the key concepts and evidence from research in these drowning sub-fields are distinct, and several systematic reviews exist specific to these subjects [40][41][42][43][44]. This refined focus was further guided by three domains consistent with a public health approach: epidemiological burden, risk factors and primary prevention strategies [45].…”

Vehicle-Related Flood Fatalities in Texas, 1959–2019

“…Old drivers are less likely to drive in inclement conditions [41], which is supported by the results of this study. It is clear that social psychological factors (e.g., attitudes and social norms) should guide efforts aimed at improving individuals' behavioral decisions during flood situations [42]. Gender-specific educational programs may also be of help [10].…”

“…The age group of 80 and above is the group that has the lowest male (14) and female fatalities (8). Male victims are significantly more (42) and female (25), as seen in Figure 8. The age group of 80 and above is the group that has the lowest male (14) and female fatalities (8).…”

Flood-pedestrian simulator for modelling human response dynamics during flood-induced evacuation: Hillsborough stadium case study

“…This condition enables 'male' pedestrian agents to increase their walking speed by 60 % and 'female' agents to increase their walking speed by 76 %. The experimental findings of Lee et al (2019) also suggest a faster maximum excitement condition for women, which may be associated with the fact that women have less tendency to be around floodwater compared to men (Becker et al, 2015;Hamilton et al, 2020). A pedestrian agent that identifies a non-zero depth of floodwater is automatically flagged to be in a flooded zone.…”