Flood Risk Management and Perceptions of Responsibility for Flood Risk on Toronto Island

Abstract

Hazard, exposure, and vulnerability interact to produce disaster risk. To reduce flood risk, flood risk management (FRM) policies, programs, and Acts must address hazard, exposure and/or vulnerability. Flood risk management involves structural and non-structural measures. While structural measures solely address hazards, non-structural mitigation measures address human exposure and vulnerabilities to hazards. This thesis investigates how flood risk on Toronto Island is managed and how residents perceive responsibility for flood management. Policy content analysis of FRM documents (n=59) reveals that policy actions for flood reduction at Toronto Island are diverse, although hazard mitigation measures are preferred over exposure and vulnerability mitigation measures. Cross-analysis of those findings with the results of a survey of Toronto Island residents (n=109) finds that residents view responsibilities for flood reduction differently than that assigned by FRM policy. These findings show that diversifying structural and non-structural mitigation methods, and defining stakeholder roles and responsibilities can improve FRM at Toronto Island.