Perceived risk and preferences of response and recovery actions of individuals living in a floodplain community

Abstract

Risk perception influences vulnerability to natural hazards in two key ways: 1) how an individual adapts to the risk, and 2) how a community responds and adjusts to these risks. Hence, risk perception plays a critical role in flood response and recovery policies for local communities. However, this perception variation among floodplain residents is not well understood, especially under varying flood threats. The research aimed to characterize how risk perceptions of varying flood threats diverged across groups of people living in floodplains and identify individuals' preferences for response and recovery actions. A household survey was conducted to determine residents' risk perceptions in the 1%- and 0.2% annual chance floodplain in Corvallis, OR. Contingency tables were used to evaluate relationships between respondents' sociodemographics, perceptions, and preferences for flood response and recovery actions. The results highlight that, even when households are exposed to similar threats of floodwater depths, survey respondents' risk perceptions and support for proposed response and recovery actions differed along sociodemographic lines. Understanding the nuanced relationships among socio-demographics, risk perceptions, and response and recovery actions can facilitate practical and better-informed approaches for community-relevant decision-making.