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Flood Perception from Local Perspective of Rural Community vs Geomorphological Control of Fluvial Processes in Large Alluvial Valley (the Middle Vistula River, Poland)
Krasiewicz, D.W.; Wierzbicki, G. Flood Perception from Local Perspective of Rural Community vs. Geomorphological Control of Fluvial Processes in Large Alluvial Valley (the Middle Vistula River, Poland). Hydrology2023, 10, 191.
Krasiewicz, D.W.; Wierzbicki, G. Flood Perception from Local Perspective of Rural Community vs. Geomorphological Control of Fluvial Processes in Large Alluvial Valley (the Middle Vistula River, Poland). Hydrology 2023, 10, 191.
Krasiewicz, D.W.; Wierzbicki, G. Flood Perception from Local Perspective of Rural Community vs. Geomorphological Control of Fluvial Processes in Large Alluvial Valley (the Middle Vistula River, Poland). Hydrology2023, 10, 191.
Krasiewicz, D.W.; Wierzbicki, G. Flood Perception from Local Perspective of Rural Community vs. Geomorphological Control of Fluvial Processes in Large Alluvial Valley (the Middle Vistula River, Poland). Hydrology 2023, 10, 191.
Abstract
The origin and dynamics of a- 2010 pluvial flood in the valley of a large European river are described. In order to study how local people perceive this catastrophic event a small administrative unit (rural municipality) within Holocene floodplain (thus flooded to 90%) was chosen. Using a questionnaire a human-research survey was performed in the field among 287 people living on flood-prone area. Almost half of the interviewees feel safe and do not expect a flood recurrence (interpreted as a levee effect). 17% believe the levee was intentionally breached due to political issues. 6% of interviewees link the breach with small mammals using leeves as a habitat, eg. beavers, moles, foxes. Spatial distribution of the survey results are analyzed. Maps presenting: inundation height, economic loss, attitude to geohazards and perception of possible flood recurrence were drawn. Causes of the flood as viewed by local inhabitants and in the context of the riverine geological setting and its processes are discussed. Particular attention is paid to processes linking the levee breach location with specific geomorpic features of the Holocene floodplain. A wide perspective of fluvial geomorphology where erosive landforms of crevasse channels (and associated depositional crevasse splays) are indicators of geohazards was adopted. This distinct geomorphological imprint left by overbank flow is considered as natural flood marks. Such an approach is completely neglected by interviewees who overestimate a role of hydraulic structures.
Keywords
sense of place; dyke; flood protection embankment; flood collective memory; suballuvial bedrock protrussion
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Geography
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
