Experience from the 2021 floods in the Netherlands: Household survey results on impacts and responses

This study provides an overview of the impact of the 2021 Summer floods in the Netherlands and the assessment ofthe effectiveness of various adaptation measures, evacuation strategies, and their impact on society. The floods were characterized by record rainfall in the cross-border region of the Meuse and Rhine basins and resulted in devastating losses in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. The study reports on a household survey conducted with 1,509 households in the wake of the 2021 flood event in the southern part of the Netherlands (province of Limburg). Using a descriptive approach,we present household experiences during several stages of the disaster management cycle, reporting onexperiencedflood hazard and impacts, evacuation, flood damage mitigation measures,thecompensationprogress, risk perceptions,and stress. Our findings highlightthe role of early warnings and flood risk information provision in flood risk management. Risk perceptionsinfluenceboth adaptation and evacuation behavior, as respondents who were aware of flood risksbeforehand tooksignificantly more flood damage mitigationmeasurescompared with those who were not aware. Flood damage mitigation measures, such as building with water-resistant materials and elevating valuables,reduced flood damage by20% to 50%.Our survey showsthat of those who received warnings, the majority actually evacuated. However, residents not aware of any evacuation advice evacuated significantly less. Additionally,the majority (75%) of respondents experienced high or very high stress during and after the flood, whichis most likely related to the destructive flood impacts andthe slow and uncertain compensation experienced by many respondents.This paper describes the flood event and its consequences to provide insights into Dutch disaster management and what can be learned for potential future disasters in other contexts.