Study title

This research will investigate the extent to which local communities with histories of past extreme flooding events are better equipped practically and psychologically to cope during and after new floods, and with heightened future flood risk in contexts of climate change. It is suspected that communities with past flood histories will have a 'watery sense of place' - incorporating flood risk as part of local character and everyday heritage. This knowledge, which might be held in individual, family and community memories, and through different ways (stories, photographs, websites, physical landscape markers), may help people live with ongoing and changing risk of flooding, and cope better in practical response terms when new floods occur. The project will comparatively research how three differently composed and situated communities experienced and responded to catastrophic flooding in River Severn, Gloucestershire in July 2007. It will investigate if and how their memories of these floods are now being developed into individual, family and community memories that will help these communities be more resilient to flooding and future flood risk. The research will then consider how these types of developing memories of flooding/ watery sense of place can be supported, developed and enhanced by agencies charged with development of flood risk management policies.