The Georgia Department of Natural Resources recently developed a new tool as part of their Georgia Flood Literacy Project. This project is intended to create clear language around flooding, so that the public has a better understanding of the risks they face from flooding.
As the story map says, “The way flood terms are used could determine how a community will prepare, adapt and recover when faced with disaster. If people do not understand or care about the message, it could be hard for professionals to encourage them to react in ways they suggest.”
Common flood terms include: Flood, inundation, compound flooding, and 1-percent annual chance flood.
To put together and define these terms, they assembled a flood literacy taskforce, including IRIS Member Jill Gambill, a Coastal Resilience Specialist with Georgia SeaGrant. They then sent out surveys to answer questions like, “What term(s) do you use when referring to higher than “normal” high tides?” And “What definition of storm surge works best for you?”
Learn more about the project and its implications via their storymap!
Photo from the Georgia DNR, Coastal Resources Division
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