Connecting social impacts and social capacities for flood risk management and disaster risk reduction

While research on social impacts and capacities related to floods has advanced significantly in recent decades, the integration of these two lines of work remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by proposing a network-based approach to strategically identify key social impacts and capacities, aiming to support decision-making processes for flood risk reduction. The research focuses on three case studies in Spain, representing different flood types: river overflow, coastal flooding, and flash floods.

The methodology combines a systematic literature review, fieldwork involving 117 semi-structured interviews, and network analysis using Atlas.ti and Gephi. This network analysis identified strategic flood-related social impacts and capacities through the application of two relational parameters: the in-degree parameter, which identifies impacts at the endpoints of affectation chains, and the betweenness centrality parameter, which highlights capacities with high relational influence within the network.

Results reveal that impacts such as psychosocial issues, increased social exclusion, and the deterioration of domestic life dynamics are key endpoints in affectation chains. Capacities such as adaptability in municipal flood management mechanisms, trust in institutions, and collective protection emerge as key elements for mitigating impacts and enhancing resilience. This network-based approach effectively bridges the analysis of social impacts and capacities, providing a systemic perspective that enhances flood risk management.

By uncovering the relational dynamics between these elements, it emphasises the need for integrated strategies that prioritise coordination among social and institutional actors and across different areas of work in the context of flood risk and emergencies. In this regard, management plans are an essential mechanism, according to this study, for systematically integrating knowledge about social impacts and capacities related to floods and for addressing their management comprehensively through coordinated and multisectoral actions and protocols, especially in the context of climate change and the increased risk of disaster.