Flood threat to livable communities: Understanding the impact of emotional conflicts and information availability on disaster preparedness through mitigation capacity in Nigeria's coastal region

Abstract

Climate change poses significant risks to coastal regions, compromising habitats, economies, and well-being through flooding. This research assesses the indirect effects of information availability and emotional factors, such as property emotional attachment and emotional burdens on flood disaster preparedness through mitigation capacity. Data from 360 individuals across three Nigerian coastal communities were analyzed using a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM). Evidence demonstrated that information availability directly enhances disaster preparedness. Conversely, information availability is not significantly associated with mitigation capacity. Strong emotional attachment to property negatively impact mitigation capacity, but no direct effect on disaster preparedness. Mitigation capacity exhibits a significant positive direct effect on disaster preparedness. Notably, heightened emotional burden bolsters flood disaster preparedness by first increasing mitigation capacity. In contrast, intensified emotional attachment to property dampens mitigation capacity, thereby diminishing disaster preparedness. These insights highlight the necessity of integrating frameworks for addressing issues of information dissemination, property emotional attachment, and emotional burden when devising flood risk reduction strategies for coastal communities.