Abstract
Abstract. Dealing with flood hazard and risk requires approaches rooted in both natural and social sciences, which provided the nexus for the ongoing debate on socio-hydrology. Various combinations of non-structural and structural flood risk reduction options are available to communities. Focusing on flood risk and the information associated with it, developing risk management plans is required but often overlooks public perception of a threat. The perception of risk varies in many different ways, especially between the authorities and the affected public. It is because of this disconnection that many risk management plans concerning floods have failed in the past. This paper examines the private adaptation capacity and willingness with respect to flooding in two different catchments in Greece prone to multiple flood events during the last 20 years. Two studies (East Attica and Evros) were carried out, comprised of a survey questionnaire of 155 and 157 individuals, from a peri-urban (East Attica) and a rural (Evros) area, respectively, and they focused on those vulnerable to periodic (rural area) and flash floods (peri-urban area). Based on the comparisons drawn from these responses, and identifying key issues to be addressed when flood risk management plans are implemented, improvements are being recommended for the social dimension surrounding such implementation. As such, the paper contributes to the ongoing discussion on human–environment interaction in socio-hydrology.
Highlights
Increasing flood losses throughout Europe have led the European Commission to issue the “Directive on the Assessment and Management of Flood Risks” (Commission of the European Communities, 2007) as one of the three components of the European Action Programme on Flood Risk Management (Commission of the European Communities, 2004)
We asked the interviewees for the main roots of past flood events
In Evros, 18.1 % saw the lack of maintenance of protective constructions as a central issue of ongoing flood events, while in East Attica, respondents saw as central arguments for the past flood events deforestation (61.8 %), building in high-risk areas (55.4 %), and interventions on the riverbed (58.6 %)
Summary
Increasing flood losses throughout Europe have led the European Commission to issue the “Directive on the Assessment and Management of Flood Risks” (Commission of the European Communities, 2007) as one of the three components of the European Action Programme on Flood Risk Management (Commission of the European Communities, 2004). This directive requires the Member States to establish flood risk maps and flood risk management plans based on a nationwide evaluation of exposure and vulnerability (Fuchs et al, 2017).
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