Abstract:
The number of flood related disasters is predicted to increase with the changing
climate. How cities mitigate and prepare for the potential flooding influences
the scope and extent of damage, and diminishes the risk of an event turning
into a disaster. Preparation or preparedness is, therefore, seen as an important
component to flood resilience in cities. This research qualitatively explored the
social phenomenon of why some prepare and others do not through the
application of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) in two flood-vulnerable areas
of the cities of Hamburg and Dhaka: Wilhelmsburg and Badda (respectively).
This exploration utilised semi-structured interviews to collect information on
local communities’ flood risk perceptions and flood preparedness. The findings
showed that the motivation that the informants had was highly influenced by the
amount of prior experience they had had with floods. Where this was high,
informants demonstrated a protection motivation that was culturally innate.
Theoretical findings provided in depth detail of the components of PMT, and its
applicability within flood risk contexts.
Although, still further exploration of PMT as an assessment tool of
preparedness behaviour in urban-flood-vulnerable communities is
recommended, this study has found that it does explain the differences in flood
preparedness behaviours in urban communities. In addition its links with both
the social system and individual cognitive processes provides insight into the
different factors and reasons that influence the preparedness behaviour of
urban communities.
