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

Presenter's Name(s)

Emma J. SpettFollow

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

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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.