Public Participation in the Emergency Response Phase of Flooding: A Case Study of the Red River Basin

Abstract

The emergency response phase of flood management is often controversial because of the nature of the decisions that are made, such as the decision to evacuate. The limited literature on public involvement in response efforts indicates that conflict and dissatisfaction often mar emergency response due to the absence of public input. This paper examines the role that the public currently plays in emergency flood response in order to identify how public involvement might be better incorporated into this phase of flood management. The context of the study is the 1997 Red River Flood, the “flood of the century”, where some dissatisfaction and conflict characterized emergency response efforts. The evaluation is grounded in criteria defined by research participants. The methodology was qualitative and interactive and included semi-structured interviews and a review of documents. The results suggest that members of the public are the first responders to a flood threat, and play a critical role in reducing the damage by undertaking individual and group activities such as moving furniture to upper floors and participating in neighbourhood committees. Their role in provincial and state decisions, such as evacuation, is however, minimal at best. Despite the popular opinion of senior decision-makers, opportunities are identified to involve the public more in both preparation and response through vehicles as simple as a town hall meeting.