Uncovering the Patterns, Drivers, and Experiences of Population Mobility Due to Low-Attention Flooding

This project supports research focused on understanding population mobility subject to repeated flooding in regions that are historically unprepared to cope with such events. Repeated, low-attention flood disasters do not receive widespread media coverage compared to larger, catastrophic ones. Low-attention flood events are currently understudied, but their cumulative impacts are likely to compound underlying causes of risk, inequality, and poverty. Furthermore, there is not a good understanding of how they contribute to people’s decisions to evacuate, return, or permanently move. By filling the knowledge gap, this study aims to better inform local and regional policymakers responsible for designing policies for mitigation strategies and aid distribution before, during, and after these events. Considering the lack of data and the variety in mobility patterns from low-attention flood events, this research project leverages multiple data sources at multiple scales. Mobile phone data provides insights into broader mobility patterns that would otherwise be difficult to assess due to the smaller scale of these events. However, it is often biased towards certain demographics and, importantly, cannot provide reasons behind such mobility patterns. Therefore, mobile phone data is used to guide surveys and interviews to uncover experiences and causes for displaced populations, especially those missing from mobile phone data. These datasets are ultimately integrated to develop a holistic understanding of mobility due to low-attention flooding. Through this project, the research team not only introduces new methods to combine multiple sources of data but also advances understanding of population mobility from low-attention flooding to inform disaster planning and management. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.