UR-Flood - Understanding Uncertainty and Risk in Communicating about Floods - CRUE Research Final Report

This report focuses on communications about flooding: how they are understood and how they can be improved. Our primary activity was the exploration of how flood communications are understood, using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data in 11 case study sites, in four countries. We suggest eight guidelines for effective communications, and discuss specific ideas for implementing these recommendations. For effective communications, a mixture of methods is required to reach a full range of community members, and to provide different levels of information. Automated warning messages may be useful for delivering warnings, but personal approaches and community engagement may be more effective for building community capacity.