Assessing the use of Flood Risk Management in High Risk Zones in Canada. A Case Study in New Hamburg, Ontario

Abstract

Flooding is Canada’s most significant source of natural disaster risk. Development in high risk areas, aging infrastructure and climate change all contribute to increasing frequency of flooding in Canada. The traditional methods to reduce flood impacts include expensive structural flood defences, and disaster assistance aid from government. These policies have encouraged development in high risk areas. To address these challenges, Canadian governments at all levels have embraced flood risk management (FRM). FRM involves the use of risk information and assessment to allocate responsibility for reducing risk among a diverse set of stakeholders and strategies. However, there is a lack of research on the implications of FRM adoption for existing flood management strategies in high risk areas. This is unfortunate as the demand for effective flood risk reduction is most pronounced in these areas. The purpose of this research is to address this gap through a case study designed to understand how FRM is changing flood management in the high-risk community of New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada. The case study conducted semi-structured interviews with local experts to evaluate whether flood policy is aligned with the strategies and goals of FRM. In addition, the analysis evaluated differences between provincial government and insurance flood maps to measure the extent to which risk information is used. The results reveal a partial adoption of FRM particularly through an emphasis on preparedness and the introduction of flood insurance. Based on the research findings, the adoption of FRM through coordination between federal government and insurance industry is critical, specifically through the efforts to share information on flood risk through mapping to design flood policy.