The next ISSE Coffee Talk will be in room 2133 FL1 at 10AM February 19th.

Speaker: Isabelle Ruin
Joseph Fourier University
Alpine Geography Institute
Grenoble, France

Title: Going against the flow. Travel patterns in the Southern France: a vulnerability factor of flash floods.

Abstract:
Flash floods trigger the highest mortality rate in natural disasters because of the rapidity of their onset and extreme violence. They arrive suddenly and surprise people who are in the midst of their daily activities, particularly striking during people's travels. For each catastrophy, up to half of the deaths are road users. Hydro-meteorological research allows for more prediction lead-time and can reduce uncertainty. However, social vulnerability remains an outstanding focus. Experts call for a comprehensive integration of social and natural sciences to better understand public responses. In this context, my thesis research addresses peoples travel patterns during flash floods and makes two assumptions : i) peoples unwillingness to change their daily routines, ii) discrepancy between individual space-time representations and actual flash flood phenomenon characteristics.

Using questionnaires or cognitive maps to interview a total of 1,428 residents and tourists visiting the Gard « département », I demonstrated that « at risk » travel patterns result in a mix of three factors : spatio-temporal exposure, cognitive understanding of risks on the road, but also daily family and professional constraints. Based on this analysis, I suggest a range of targeted preventative actions and some new research perspectives.