Technical Report
Principal Investigator: Duane W. Hill (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Principal Investigator: Eugene A. Laurent (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Principal Investigator: L. Douglas James (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Sponsor: GWRI
Start Date: 1969-10-01; Completion Date: 1971-09-30;
Keywords:
Description:
The goal of flood plain management is to reduce the adverse effects of flood events by modifying human activity on the flood plain. Formulation of an effective combination of incentives and controls requires an understanding of the particular people involved, of the reasons motivating flood plain settlement, of perceptions of and attitudes toward the hazard, and of the kinds of communication likely to dissuade further encroachment.
The foundation for this study is an analysis of the various levels of decision making affecting flood plain settlement from the viewpoints of the individuals seeking a residential location, the individuals engaged in land development and construction activity, and individuals charged with forming and implementing public flood control policy at various levels of government. A conceptual model is presented of factors influencing how individuals select a residential location, react to flood experiences, and pressure for government help.
Flood plains (defined by the 50-year event) in the Peachtree Creek watershed in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, contain 1831 homes predominately occupied by middle to upper income white owners. A randomly selected, geographically stratified sample of 175 residents was chosen, and information was collected from 135 of these in a 200-question structured interview. Responses and associations among responses are tabulated and analyzed. One of the most important findings was that 43 percent of those interviewed knew of the hazard before they moved in. Furthermore, 89 percent said that they expected at least one flood in the next 50 years and 61 percent expected at least eleven. The area had had five floods severe enough to inflict major damage in the seven years before the interview. Respondents reported a median damage of $400, and some gave figures as high as $10,000. Despite this record, 63 percent say they have no doubts that they would still move into the same home knowing what they now know about the hazard. Only 15 percent are seriously considering moving away. Of those who say they expect to be flooded at least once every five years, 54 percent say they would still definitely move into the same house and 27 percent say they definitely would not. When expectations also included damages in the order of magnitude of $500 per flood, the percentages were 34 percent would and 40 percent would not.
The results of the study have a number of implications with respect to making flood plain management policy. When a large body of people are quite willing to endure floods every few years to enjoy the other advantages of living in an area, a policy that automatically prohibits them from doing so would be critically reviewed. The argument is particularly strong for plains subject to shallow flooding. Such events do relatively little damage to properly constructed homes and pose only a minor threat to life and health. The study points out basic differences between the type of people who knowingly risk flood hazards and the type who move onto flood unaware of the danger and discusses the implications of these terms of differences in the information that people in the two groups must be supplied to influence their location decisions.