Flood Risk Literacy: From Perceived Barriers to Household Preparedness

Abstract

Despite significant investments in flood risk management infrastructure and communication, household-level preparedness remains insufficient to address growing gaps in flood risk management. This dissertation presents a three-phase integrated research program that bridges behavioral science and protective action theory to identify, measure, and reduce barriers to household flood mitigation. A combination of qualitative data analysis and randomized experimental designs led to the development of a brief survey tool to assess barriers to flood preparedness and a method to address them. This work provides practitioners and policymakers with evidence-based tools and a reproducible framework for diagnosing and addressing decision vulnerabilities that prevent households from turning flood risk information into protective action.