ABSTRACT

The Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment in NSW, Australia has a unique topography that makes it highly susceptible to flood risks. A recent flood management review has indicated the need for better flood education for the communities residing in the floodplains of the catchment. This research article describes the perceptions of residents to flood risks to their property and factors that can influence this perception. The data was collected through on-line, face-to-face and postal surveys, and the results were derived from the 172 responses received. This article aims to provide a better understanding of the perceptions of the community residing in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment, and to help develop more effective risk communication strategies, to enable better management of floods, and greater level of support from the communities on flood management. Findings of this research show that the communities have a low perception of flood risks in the region and that factors such as proximity to the rivers, gender, age and duration of living in the area can influence perceptions of flood risks to property.

摘要

澳大利亚新南威尔士州的霍克斯伯里-Nepean集水区拥有独特的地形，使其极易遭受洪水风险。最近的洪水管理评估表明，有必要对居住在该流域洪泛区的社区进行更好的洪水教育。这篇研究文章描述了居民对财产遭受洪水风险的看法以及可能影响这种看法的因素。该数据是通过在线，面对面和邮政调查收集的，其结果来自收到的172条回复。本文旨在更好地了解居住在霍克斯伯里-Nepean集水区的社区的看法，并帮助制定更有效的风险沟通策略，以更好地管理洪水，并提高社区对洪水管理的支持水平。