Šiljeg, S.; Milošević, R.; Mamut, M. Pluvial Flood Susceptibility in the Local Community of the City of Gospić (Croatia). Sustainability2024, 16, 1701.
Šiljeg, S.; Milošević, R.; Mamut, M. Pluvial Flood Susceptibility in the Local Community of the City of Gospić (Croatia). Sustainability 2024, 16, 1701.
Šiljeg, S.; Milošević, R.; Mamut, M. Pluvial Flood Susceptibility in the Local Community of the City of Gospić (Croatia). Sustainability2024, 16, 1701.
Šiljeg, S.; Milošević, R.; Mamut, M. Pluvial Flood Susceptibility in the Local Community of the City of Gospić (Croatia). Sustainability 2024, 16, 1701.
Abstract
Pluvial flooding (PF), triggered by intense short-duration rainfall events, poses a growing challenge in urban areas due to climate change and rapid urbanization. To mitigate the risk, it is imperative to identify flood-prone areas and implement mitigation strategies collaboratively with the public. This study aims to create a GIS-MCDA model of PF susceptibility zones based on topographical, environmental, and hydrological criteria and investigate the public perception of risk in Gospić. The survey included 5% of the city population (N=64), and data were obtained via face-to-face interviews. Five factors were examined: (F1) risk awareness, (F2) anthropogenic and (F3) natural causes of PF, (F4) potential consequences, and (F5) preparedness. All factors have moderate mean values, i.e., awareness, causes of PF, expectations of consequences, and preparedness is moderate. The reliability of questionnaire is very high (> 0.71). The PF susceptibility zones were derived with an accuracy of 76%. The most susceptible zone covers 10% of the city, including agricultural land, forests, meadows, and residential properties. Of all respondents, 36% live in the most flood-prone area. In conclusion, mitigation measures for decision-makers were proposed. Results from this research can be a starting point for further research in Croatia and guidelines for decision-makers in implementing a risk mitigation strategy.
Keywords
Susceptibility; Pluvial flood; Risk perception; Local community
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.
