In the UK, 1.8 million people live with an annual risk of flooding greater than 1 in 75. This is expected to rise due to climate change and increased development.
Professor Joanne Garde-Hansen and team have developed and shared archives of digital stories based on flood experiences with flood-risk communities in the UK and Brazil to help aid preparation for flooding. The projects combine community-led storytelling and resilience training with digital tools, in order to preserve and develop flooding knowledge. The researchers brought this data together to create digital toolkits for the development of flood memory apps.
By mapping generations of memory onto at-risk areas, the information could improve flood preparation activity. The Sustainable Flood Memory project has made a significant contribution to how the Environment Agency communicates flood risk and has led to new ways of informing communities, helping build resilience amongst those under threat. Community flood groups, archive and heritage organisations, councils and the Canals and Rivers Trust have all benefited from the project’s research.
https://warwick.ac.uk/research/impact/arts/scapvc/flood-memory
