Communication and dissemination of probabilistic flood forecasts

This study explored the best of communicating flood risk forecasts involving a probability calculation for various types of audience.

From:
Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Programme and Environment Agency
Published
18 February 2021
Category:
Managing flood incidents
Topics:
Communicating risk, Community participation, Emergency planning, Flood forecasting, Flood risk assessment, Flood warning and Health, safety and wellbeing
Project status:
Completed
Project code:
SC070060
Date of completion:
30 November 2009

Documents

Details

This research aimed to establish the best way of communicating flood risk for different groups, including:

  • professional partners
  • internal staff
  • small businesses
  • the general public

It included a literature review into methods used internationally to communicate hazards and weather warnings. It also looked at how the public and professionals make sense of communications that involve messages around risk.

Researchers also held focus groups before making a series of recommendations to inform the Environment Agency鈥檚 policy on communicating risk probabilities.

Findings

This study showed that there鈥檚 a general appetite amongst internal staff, professional partners, small businesses and the general public to receive flood risk information using probabilities. Particularly from those that have experienced flooding in the past. It made 21 recommendations for how to approach rolling out these forecasts.

The project was started in 2007 and completed in 2009.

Updates to this page

Published 18 February 2021
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