Flood Risk Perception Study
Polder2C’s provides a unique opportunity to study risk perception, embedding the situation in a flood crisis scenario. We aim to study citizen’s attitudes towards evacuation, their information seeking behaviour and behavioural intentions in case of flooding.
Real life flood crisis scenario
Risk perception studies are generally performed in a theoretical context. The Polder2C's exercises and the final breach of the Hedwige-Prosperpolder levee provide a real life situation that we will embed in a flood crisis scenario.
Risk perception study
We will perform a flood risk perception study among citizens living in the area close to the Hedwige-Prosperpolder. The research will focus on citizens’ attitudes towards evacuation, their information seeking behaviour and behavioural intentions in case of imminent flooding. The Hedwige-Prosperpolder provides a unique opportunity because risk perception studies are generally performed in the context of imaginary, hypothetical flood scenarios. The (intentional) breaching of the levee provides a real life situation that will be imbedded in a flood crisis scenario. Our hypothesis is that the activities performed in Polder2C’s will lead to a higher confidence level among citizens regarding flood risk management during flood threats. To test this hypothesis, citizens will be interviewed in a controlled setting during three consecutive years. These interviews will help to shape a report which will be utilised to inform crisis managers about citizens’ information needs and their evacuation behaviour.
Integrated Coastal Challenge
Students from the HZ University of Applied Sciences are being part of a so-called Integrated Coastal Challenge. The students are divided in small groups and they will interview citizens living near the border of Belgium and the Netherlands. With the interviews and surveys, the students will contribute to the risk perception study.
Updates
Kick off Integrated Coastal Challenge for students of the HZ University of Applied Sciences.
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