Flood, Vulnerability and Resilience, 2007-2009

UKDA study number:6605

Principal Investigator

Medd, W.
Lancaster Environment Centre

Data Collectors

Medd, W.
Mort, M.
Twigger-Ross, C.
Whittle, R.
Kashefi, E.

Sponsors

Economic and Social Research Council
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Environment Agency

Distributed by

UK Data Archive, University of Essex, Colchester.

January 2011

Bibliographic Citation

All works which use or refer to these materials should acknowledge these sources by means of bibliographic citation. To ensure that such source attributions are captured for bibliographic indexes, citations must appear in footnotes or in the reference section of publications. The bibliographic citation for this data collection is:

Medd, W., Flood, Vulnerability and Resilience, 2007-2009 [computer file]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Archive [distributor], January 2011. SN: 6605.

Acknowledgement

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Any publication, whether printed, electronic or broadcast, based wholly or in part on these materials should carry a statement that the original data creators, depositors or copyright holders, the funders of the Data Collections (if different) and the UK Data Archive bear no responsibility for their further analysis or interpretation.

Copyright:
W. Medd and R. Whittle

Disclaimer

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6605 . Flood, Vulnerability and Resilience, 2007-2009
(Flood, Vulnerability and Resilience: a Real-Time Study of Local Recovery Following the Floods of June 2007 in Hull)

Depositor:

Whittle, R. , Lancaster Environment Centre

Principal Investigator:

Medd, W. , Lancaster Environment Centre

Data Collectors:

Medd, W.
Mort, M.
Twigger-Ross, C.
Whittle, R.
Kashefi, E.

Sponsors:

Economic and Social Research Council
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Environment Agency
Grant Number: RES-177-25-0004

Other Acknowledgements:

The principal investigators would like to express their thanks to the Economic and Social Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Environment Agency for funding this study.

They would also like to thank the many organizations and individuals in Hull who helped them during the early stages of setting up this project. Special thanks go to Barbara Onley, of the Yorkshire and Humber Neighbourhood Resource Centre, Hull Community Wardens and the staff at Hull City Council who played a key part in welcoming the researchers to the city and helping them make vital contacts there.

The researchers would also like to thank the staff at the Octagon and Hull Truck Theatre, where they hosted their final project workshop.

Finally, a special thank you goes to the project's steering group members and, of course, to the diarists – without whom none of this would have been possible.

The depositor of the study, Dr. Rebecca Whittle, was formerly known as Dr. Rebecca Sims, and may listed as such in some of the study publications and study material.

Abstract:

This is a qualitative data collection. The research used diaries, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions of householders, floodworkers and other affected stakeholders and followed the recovery experiences of people across Hull after the floods of June 2007 which affected over 8,600 households across the city.

The project undertook a real-time longitudinal study to document and understand the everyday experiences of individuals following the floods of June 2007 in interaction with
networks of actors and organisations, strategies of institutional support and investment in the built environment and infrastructure. The research aimed (i) to identify and document key dimensions of the longer term experience of flood impact and flood recovery, including health, economic and social aspects, (ii) to examine how resilience and vulnerability were manifest in the interaction between everyday strategies of adaptation during the flood recovery process, and modes of institutional support and the management of infrastructure and the built environment, (iii) to explore to what extent the recovery process entailed the development of new forms of resilience and to identify the implications for developing local level resilience for flood recovery in the future, and (iv) to develop an archive that will be accessible for future research into other aspects of flood recovery.

The findings showed flood recovery to be a long and difficult process with no clear beginning or end. Far from being an incremental, linear process, respondents’ recovery is punctuated by ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ which are closely tied to other pressures and life events. Recovery is not complete when people move ‘back home’, as aspects of daily life are shown to have fundamentally changed – both for better and for worse. Many of the difficulties experienced by residents result from the existence of a ‘recovery gap’. This emerges as the legally-defined contingency arrangements provided to the community by its local authority diminish and the less well-defined services provided by the non statutory/private sector e.g. insurance, builders start. The nature of this gap means that residents receive little support during this time and, as a result, they must attempt to coordinate the actions of the different organizations involved. Such ‘project management’ is time-consuming, exhausting and stressful as it requires residents to acquire new skills, challenge ‘expert’ judgements and engage in new kinds of physical, mental and emotional work. By suggesting ways in which residents can be better supported, the research is of direct practical relevance for organizations involved in recovery and the building of resilience.

Further information about the project may be found on the Flood, vulnerability and resilience: a real-time study of local recovery following the floods of June 2007 in Hull webpage.

Main Topics:

Floods, community and local authorities' management and response to a natural disaster, welfare of flood victims and those around them, hardships and how they affect family relationships, welfare of crisis response staff.

Coverage:

Time Period Covered: October 2007 - April 2009
Dates of Fieldwork: October 2007 - April 2009
Country: United Kingdom
Geography: Anlaby; Beverley; Bransholme; Cottingham; Hessle; Hull; Kingston-upon-Hull; Kingswood; Swanland; Willerby; Yorkshire East Riding
Spatial Units: No spatial unit
Observation Units: Individuals
Kind of Data: Textual data; Sound

Universe Sampled:

Location of Units of Observation: Subnational
Population: Flooded residents and frontline workers affected by the floods of June 2007 in Hull

Methodology:

Time Dimensions: 18-month, continuous study through interviews, weekly diaries and group discussions,Longitudinal, Panel or Cohort survey (including Rotational Panel)
Sampling Procedures: Purposive selection/case studies
Number of Units: 19 focus group interviews; 54 face-to-face interviews; 1 observation note; 42 diaries
Method of Data Collection: Face-to-face interview; Telephone interview; Observation; Diaries; Focus group
Weighting: Not applicable

Language(s) of Written Materials:

Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:

Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required. Available to all registered users. The depositor may be informed about usage.
Availability: UK Data Service
Contact: Get in touch

Date of First Release:

31 January 2011

Copyright:

W. Medd and R. Whittle

File last updated:

29 April 2013