Abstract
The interactions between flood events, their aftermath, and recovery leading to health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals are complex, and the pathways and mechanisms through which wellbeing is affected are often hidden and remain under-researched. This study analyses the diverse processes that explain changes in wellbeing for those experiencing flooding. It identifies key pathways to wellbeing outcomes that concern perceptions of lack of agency, dislocation from home, and disrupted futures inducing negative impacts, with offsetting positive effects through community networks and interactions. The mixed method study is based on data from repeated qualitative semi-structured interviews (n=60) and a structured survey (n=1000) with individuals that experienced flooding directly during winter 2013/14 in two UK regions. The results show for the first time the diversity and intersection of pathways to wellbeing outcomes in the aftermath of floods. The findings suggest that enhanced public health planning and interventions could focus on the precise practices and mechanisms that intersect to produce anxiety, stress, and their amelioration at individual and community levels.
Highlights
Flooding represents a major environmental risk for many countries around the world with potentially devastating effects for human lives, health and livelihoods
In this study we have developed an in-depth analysis of four key social dimensions that explain, contribute to, and affect wellbeing following a major flood event
The data demonstrates the importance of existing social capital and indicates that flood events can provide the opportunity for new networks to form
Summary
Flooding represents a major environmental risk for many countries around the world with potentially devastating effects for human lives, health and livelihoods. The analysis highlights how wellbeing impacts manifest and evolve over time; provides insight into the significance of community relations and the relevance of perceptions of agency; and signals the importance of processes of sense making in the face of ruptured futures for wellbeing. It provides insight into the overlapping and intertwined nature of these dimensions in shaping outcomes. The discussion turns to focus on the implications of understanding the multi-dimensionality of wellbeing impacts for public health and wider institutional responses
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