Social criteria for multi-criteria decision analysis in flood management.

摘要

The primary purpose of this study was to provide a set of social criteria for use in selecting among alternative flood management strategies.; To obtain information on the flood-related concerns and needs of Manitoba residents, a survey questionnaire on the psychosocial impacts of the Red River flood of 1997 was administered to a sample of residents across several at-risk communities. This exploratory survey identified a broad range of impacts from the flood on individuals, families and to a more limited extent, communities. In addition to answering closed questions, respondents were given an opportunity to expand upon issues and offer additional insights if they chose. Data from the survey was organized under a number of dimensions of flood impact including severity of flooding, evacuation impacts, economic impacts, family impacts, community impacts, knowledge, risk communication and warning, future plans, and behavior impacts. In addition, there was particular emphasis in describing stress-related impacts which appeared as the primary dependent variables in the study, namely stress and stress symptoms, psychosocial symptoms of distress, and physical health impacts . (Abstract shortened by UMI.)