Learning processes, public and stakeholder engagement: Analyzing responses to Coloradoâ€TMs extreme flood events of 2013
نویسندگان
چکیده
Keywords: Extreme events Extreme flooding Policy learning Public engagement Community recovery processes Stakeholder process a b s t r a c t In early fall of 2013 in the Front Range of Colorado, several communities experienced intense rainfall over a three-day period, exceeding annual average precipitation rates. Extensive damage occurred to roads, infrastructure, parks, river corridors, homes and business throughout the region. Across the U.S. and in other nations, as population increases in flood-prone areas, flood risks and vulnerability are increasing as well. Successful response to extreme events may be due to policy learning—changes of beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and goals – in response to new information and experiences. This learning can at times lead to adaptation of local policies to increase the resilience of communities faced with risk from extreme events. The extent of policy learning may depend on how communities engage with stakeholders and the public in post-disaster recovery. Using a comparative in-depth case study approach of seven Colorado communities, this study examines how communities actively engage stakeholders and the public in decision processes after an extreme event. As summer of 2013 turned to fall in the Front Range of Colorado, over 16 inches of rain fell in a three-day period in some areas, totaling more than annual average precipitation rates (Henson, 2013). Towns such as Boulder, Lyons, Longmont, and others that sit at the mouths of mountain canyons, experienced flash flooding. When the rain and water moved east toward the plains, other towns such as Evans and Milliken were devastated. Infrastructure throughout the region was damaged, if not destroyed. Immediate road repairs cost over $450 million and costs are expected to rise as permanent repairs are completed (Whaley, 2013). Many residents' homes became uninhabitable, and many residents were under no-flush restrictions, with Evans under such restrictions for eight days. In Lyons over 20% of the housing was destroyed or severely damaged and over 1000 residents in Evans lost their homes. Beyond these most basic problems, business, community parks, and open space were also affected. As population density increases in flood-prone areas, community vulnerability to flood risk is escalating. Along with this trend, in the U.S. the responsibility to design strategies and policies to mitigate flood risk is shifting from the federal government to states and localities (Brody et al., 2009). In the wake of a flood, communities must make decisions about whether,
منابع مشابه
Learning in the Aftermath of Extreme Floods: Community Damage and Stakeholder Perceptions of Future Risk
Policy learning in the aftermath of extreme events can happen as a result of changes in beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions of stakeholders acting in a coordinated manner. Understanding the factors that impact these beliefs may prove critical in understanding policy learning and change, since these can mean the difference between ongoing flood vulnerability as a consequence of extrem...
متن کاملThe Response of Fluvial Systems to Large Flood Events
In the summer of 2001, an intense thunderstorm in southeastern Caspian Sea triggered a catastrophic flood in the Madarsoo basin . Use of methods including high-resolution aerial photographs and satellite images interpretation, multi-date mapping, hydraulic calculations and field observations made possible the documentation of the geomorphic impacts on the Madarsoo River and its tributaries. Geo...
متن کاملCommunity Response and Engagement During Extreme Water Events in Saskatchewan, Canada and Queensland, Australia
Technology alone cannot address the challenges of how societies, communities, and individuals understand water accessibility, water management, and water consumption, particularly under extreme conditions like floods and droughts. At the community level, people are increasingly aware challenges related to responses to and impacts of extreme water events. This research begins with an assessment ...
متن کاملCollaborative learning framework for online stakeholder engagement
BACKGROUND Public and stakeholder engagement can improve the quality of both research and policy decision making. However, such engagement poses significant methodological challenges in terms of collecting and analysing input from large, diverse groups. OBJECTIVE To explain how online approaches can facilitate iterative stakeholder engagement, to describe how input from large and diverse stak...
متن کاملStudy on the effect of climate change on maximum precipitations and probable maximum flood in the Karoon River zone of Iran
Climate change is one of the challenges which affect different areas of the human’s life on the earth, one of which is its effect on extreme events such as flood and drought. Today, one of the most important topics being discussed is that how the intensity of heavy precipitations and flood will change in future compared to that of the present values. In the present study, we try to investigate ...
متن کامل