Sixteenth International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

With the increasing risk of coastal flooding on coastal communities due to climate change, coastal flood warnings (CFWs) are expected to play a critical role in the protection of people and property. However, as destructive coastal flooding hazards have still caused considerable damage in recent years, the effectiveness of coastal flooding warnings can be questioned with their objectives of disaster risk reduction. Here, we deliver a review investigation on the current CFWs in the USA and Canada based on their setup and dissemination, and case study of two representative coastal flooding events. Through this review, we have found that the collaboration of multi-level administration on CFW mechanisms has the potential to strengthen towards higher efficacy. We also found that CFWs from the media often lacked consideration on public acceptance and practicability in their reports, which may have affected the performance of CFW from its original intention. Meanwhile, the technological limitations and uncertain public acceptance may also discount the CFW effectiveness from their expression. Accordingly, media should consider more on the understandability of CFW-related reports. Moreover, emergency information channels should be set in both traditional media and social media, for an accessible use for residents with different customs. Lastly, starting from the normalized prevention of coastal flood disaster, a consensus of crisis awareness should be built, with which the social defensive line towards coastal flooding can be combinedly established for future environmental challenges.