Flood Risk Perceptions and Coping Capacities among the Retired Population, with implications for risk communication: a study of residents in a north Wales coastal town, UK

Flood risk communication strategies have been ineffective for older adults as they have failed to accommodate diversity, viewing retired populations as homogenous. There have been calls from academics and NGOs to develop more detailed understandings of older adults’ risk experiences to inform disaster risk reduction (DRR) and communication approaches. We conducted in-depth interviews with twelve members of the retired population, of which the majority happened to be members of a local church, in a flood risk area of north Wales, UK, in 2018 to ascertain risk perceptions, coping capacities, and risk communication preferences to inform more age-centred approaches. Results present retired population are a diverse group with varying perceptions and capacities. While personal risk perceptions were low overall, coping capacities varied and were primarily social in nature, which can be sustained despite mobility or other limitations typical of older age. Participants expressed preference for traditional/interpersonal risk communication methods, such as telephone calls or home visits. A key recommendation from this study is that risk communication and DRR practices should adopt people-centric approaches that are co-produced and respect the differentiated vulnerabilities, capacities and needs of at-risk populations. This study and its findings are important is providing a more nuanced picture of the vulnerabilities and capacities of the particularly at-risk population of older adults. We must ensure that future DRR research, policies and practices focus on all experiences of at-risk populations, not only the dominant narratives or extremes of groups, to capture differences within groups’ abilities to support more effective community DRR.