Place-Based Citizen Science for Assessing Risk Perception and Coping Capacity of Households Affected by Multiple Hazards

Priscila Barros Ramalho Alves, Maria José de Sousa Cordão, Slobodan Djordjević and Akbar A. Javadi
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Priscila Barros Ramalho Alves: Centre for Water Systems (CWS), University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
Maria José de Sousa Cordão: PPGECA-Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG), Campina Grande 58428-830, Brazil
Slobodan Djordjević: Centre for Water Systems (CWS), University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
Akbar A. Javadi: Centre for Water Systems (CWS), University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-20

Abstract: Since hazards act upon vulnerability and exposure to become disasters, the understanding of societal challenges is key for disaster risk reduction. This condition is even more critical when more than one hazard is in place. Taking the case of flooding and water shortage, this study is built upon the premise that disasters are a social phenomenon; therefore, it is essential to comprehend the social context in which they occur. Particularly, this study aims to evaluate the similarities and differences in risk perception and the coping capacity of residents in the multiple-hazard context. For this, a place-based citizen science approach was developed in this study in Campina Grande, a semiarid region of Brazil, with the collaboration of 199 participants. Risk perception and coping capacity were analysed through the citizens’ participation, while combining subjective and objective methods. The results indicate that even though residents have experienced severe flooding and water shortages in the past, they still have low coping capacity. The findings highlight the need to combine a triad of societal challenges, namely information, trust, and incentives, to improve coping capacity in the future and increase resilience. This study underlines the need to understand multiple hazards according to social, spatial, and temporal scales in a socio-spatial perspective.

Keywords: disaster; multiple hazards; risk perception; coping capacity; flooding; water shortage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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