Leveraging Public Perceptions of Flood Risk and Decision Criteria to Assess the Political Feasibility of Transboundary Flood Mitigation Measures in the Lake Champlain Richelieu River Basin
Conference Year
January 2020
Abstract
Floods and flood hazards represent one of the most common and destructive natural hazards on Earth, killing approximately 20,000 people and affecting at least 20 million people annually. Floods also cause damage to infrastructure, industry, residences, and the environment. In 2011, the Lake Champlain Richelieu River (LCRR) basin experienced the impacts of unprecedented spring flooding, which caused widespread destruction of communities located within and along floodplains. A study was subsequently convened by the International Joint Commission with the objective of identifying how flood forecasting, preparedness, and mitigation could be improved in this transboundary watershed. The objective of this study is to provide policy makers and public officials throughout the LCRR basin with a better understanding of perceived and actual flood risk, as well as the priorities of their constituents.
This poster presentation examines the social, political, and economic conditions surrounding flood experience, flood risk perception, and decision criteria preference in order to consider the social acceptability and subsequently, the political feasibility of various flood mitigation measures being considered for implementation across the LCRR basin. Considerations regarding policy implications from the results of this research, as well as opportunities for future research that could complement and build upon the work conducted through the household risk perception survey will be explored.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Christopher Koliba
Status
Graduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Program/Major
Community Development and Applied Economics
Primary Research Category
Social Sciences
Secondary Research Category
Food & Environment Studies
Tertiary Research Category
Vermont Studies
Leveraging Public Perceptions of Flood Risk and Decision Criteria to Assess the Political Feasibility of Transboundary Flood Mitigation Measures in the Lake Champlain Richelieu River Basin
Floods and flood hazards represent one of the most common and destructive natural hazards on Earth, killing approximately 20,000 people and affecting at least 20 million people annually. Floods also cause damage to infrastructure, industry, residences, and the environment. In 2011, the Lake Champlain Richelieu River (LCRR) basin experienced the impacts of unprecedented spring flooding, which caused widespread destruction of communities located within and along floodplains. A study was subsequently convened by the International Joint Commission with the objective of identifying how flood forecasting, preparedness, and mitigation could be improved in this transboundary watershed. The objective of this study is to provide policy makers and public officials throughout the LCRR basin with a better understanding of perceived and actual flood risk, as well as the priorities of their constituents.
This poster presentation examines the social, political, and economic conditions surrounding flood experience, flood risk perception, and decision criteria preference in order to consider the social acceptability and subsequently, the political feasibility of various flood mitigation measures being considered for implementation across the LCRR basin. Considerations regarding policy implications from the results of this research, as well as opportunities for future research that could complement and build upon the work conducted through the household risk perception survey will be explored.