Identification and Prioritization of Resilience Requirements for Flood Risk Management in the Tropics

Abstract

Due to the effects of climate change and urbanization, floods constitute a significant threat worldwide. Despite multiple strategies that have been developed in flood risk management, flood preparedness is still not adequate. In addition, structural measures implemented in the pre-flood stage have a dominant position in flood risk management, which require massive investments. Therefore, this study aims to identify and prioritize the requirements of a non-structural measure – flood resilience from the professionals’ aspects to tackle flood risks in an economically and ecologically-friendly manner. A comprehensive literature review was first conducted to establish a foundation for the development of the survey questionnaires. Structured questionnaires were conducted with professionals in the relevant industries in a scenario-based manner to obtain their opinions on the prioritization of flood resilience requirements when they are at work and at home, respectively. The results revealed that (1) preparing flood emergency kits with food, water, and medical supplies, (2) shutting off electricity and closing gas valves when flooding occurs, and (3) improving flood protection levels and conducting regular drills are the priorities for the three pillars (i.e., resourcefulness, recovery, and robustness) of flood resilience, respectively. Possible explanations and implications have been discussed. This study contributes to the literature by identifying and prioritizing the resilience requirements for flood risk management in tropical urban environments. It provided a new direction for decision-makers to continue constructing a flood-resilient nation from the resilience perspective, which can be generalized and implemented in other countries or regions.

Keywords: Flood Resilience Requirements, Flood risk management, floods, Resilience