Flood hazard maps as public information: An assessment within the context of the Canadian flood damage reduction program

Abstract

Flood hazard maps are essential for the successful inplementation of a range of flood mitigation measures. However the use of flood maps for public information is often advanced as partial justification for a mapping program. A number of assumptions implicitly underlie such justifications: that the public will read the maps, that they will understand them, and that they will have some effect on people’s attitudes to the flood hazard. A review of the cartographic literature on map perception indicates that no firm statement can be made regarding map comprehension. The results of work by geographers on flood maps as public information suggest that maps have little effect on people’s attitudes to floods, but also reveal difficulties in achieving satisfactory research design. The research reported here examined the flood mapping component of the Canadian Flood Damage Reduction Program. Data was collected on attitudes to floods before and after map distribution. The sampling method used also enabled the effects of the media campaign accompanying map release to be isolated from the effects of the flood map. Results indicate that although there was a substantially increased flood awareness among the post-map group this could not be ascribed to the maps. Rather the increased activity in all communication media appears to have been responsible for the heightened awareness. © 1980 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.