The effectiveness of flood risk communication strategies and the influence of social networks - insights from an agent-based model

This publication offers an evaluation of various flood risk communication strategies. Communication campaigns for flood risk can enable residents in floodplains to prepare for disasters and promote climate change adaptation. The effectiveness of communication however, has not been studied; especially since campaigns do not always result in direct action.

The study has assessed the effect of communication on each individual and the manner it can propagate through social networks. The results show that:

• Tailored flood risk communication can be more effective than traditional top-down government communication.
• When informing on flood risk, communicating on the measures to be taken in order to be protected against floods is more effective than communicating only about flood risk.
• The social network of an individual can have an important effect on whether individuals take measures or not.

Environmental Science and Policy, Volume 60, June 2016, Pages 44-52.