Public perception of flood risks, flood forecasting and mitigation

Abstract

Abstract.A multidisciplinary and integrated approach to the flood mitigation decision making process should provide the best response of society in a flood hazard situation including preparation works and post hazard mitigation. In Slovenia, there is a great lack of data on social aspects and public response to flood mitigation measures and information management. In this paper, two studies of flood perception in the Slovenian town Celje are represented. During its history, Celje was often exposed to floods, the most recent serious floods being in 1990 and in 1998, with a hundred and fifty return period and more than ten year return period, respectively. Two surveys were conducted in 1997 and 2003, with 157 participants from different areas of the town in the first, and 208 in the second study, aiming at finding the general attitude toward the floods. The surveys revealed that floods present a serious threat in the eyes of the inhabitants, and that the perception of threat depends, to a certain degree, on the place of residence. The surveys also highlighted, among the other measures, solidarity and the importance of insurance against floods.

What do people think about the flood risk? An experience with the residents of Talcahuano city, Chile

“…Comparing these results on perception of flooding vulnerability with similar studies in Slovenia (Brilly and Polic 2005), the Netherlands (Terpstra and Gutteling 2008), Luxembourg (Schaich 2009) and Spain (Lara et al 2010), some strong similarities and differences can be identified. First, experience with risk appears to be a highly determining factor in the perception of the vulnerability of residents living in flood-prone areas.…”

“…These multidisciplinary studies have ranged from topics such as: identification of factors that influence the decision of the community to cooperate in disaster management (Brilly and Polic 2005;Howgate and Kenyon 2009;Lara et al 2010;Martin 2010;Das 2011); development of social resilience capacity (Bahadur et al 2010;Norris 2011;Sok et al 2011;Ashley et al 2012;Bakker et al 2012); or aspects of uncertainty linked to climate change, where participatory approaches with different stakeholders are working together to develop a common strategy by managing water resources and urbanization (Ribarova et al 2011;Burch et al 2010;White et al 2010;Samuels et al 2010;Lomas and Giridharan 2011). These studies have contributed to the development of government approaches that lead to the implementation of participatory and inclusive public policies.…”

Distributed System of Dams for Flood Protection of Urban Land to Ensure Sustainable Development

“…This approach can solve problems with population growth, urbanisation and climate change which represent significant pressures on sustainable urban development, requiring flood events managers to consider a wider array of management options that account for economic, social and environmental factors using modeling in GIS environment [25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. …”

Assessment of the warning system against floods on a rural area: the case of the lower Siret River (Romania)

“…One can retain several elements: the role of the collective memory is undeniable. On the one hand, people's experience lead them to develop reflexes against the warning, but on the other hand, people who have experienced a flood tend to underestimate the danger (Gardner and Stern, 1996;Brilly and Polic, 2005).…”