A Geospatial Analysis of Contributors to Flood Health Behaviors Among Midwest Residents

Flooding Health Risks in the Heartland

Flood events can cause significant property damage and negative health outcomes in coastal and riverine areas. As of 2017, around 280,000 individuals resided in flood hazard areas in Nebraska and Iowa, comprising 8.6% and 3.83% of the population, respectively (FloodzoneData.Us, 2017). From 2017 to 2024, there have been 370 and 431 flash flood warnings in Iowa and Nebraska, respectively (Iowa State University, 2024). In that same timespan, there have been 1752 and 1123 total flood warnings in Iowa and Nebraska (Iowa State University, 2024). In the time preceding a flood event, the incidence of traffic accidents and falls can increase as residents evacuate from flood zones (Lane et al., 2013). During flood events, residents experience increased risk of injury and loss of life; furthermore, the post-flood period is characterized by increased incidence of negative health outcomes as residents are exposed to environmental health risks such as decreased air quality or increased contact with displaced wild animals while navigating compromised social and physical infrastructures (Chakraborty et al., 2019; Frumkin, 2010). As a result, flood events represent a significant health risk to residents of riverine areas such as those present in Nebraska and Iowa.

Household Flood Plans: Improving Flood-Related Health Outcomes

To reduce the risk of adverse health outcomes resulting from exposure to flood events, emergency flood plans can provide a potential framework for action. Such plans catalogue needed resources and coordinate prospective actions to reduce individuals’ or communities’ exposure to a flood or mitigate the effects of flood exposure if it occurs. Development of an emergency flood plan at a community level may reduce individuals’ likelihood of injury during a flood event, as pre-planned and coordinated evacuation can reduce the likelihood of traffic accidents and falls occurring during evacuation. (Lane et al., 2013)

While state governments are required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to produce hazard mitigation plans and distribute them to local communities every five years, individual-level guidelines in these plans may not be adapted to a local level or made available to the public (Agarwal, 2022; Boes et al., 2023). In this context, household flood plans may be the largest-scale emergency flood plan available to individuals or communities, which is designed to guide health behaviors. Because of their potential to reduce potential negative flood-related health outcomes, risk communication professionals should seek to increase the prevalence of household flood plan development in the communities they serve.