EPA Research Partner Support Story: Social science-based risk communication tools to promote community resilience after flooding events

Partners: Florida Department of Health (FDOH), University of Florida
Challenge: Effectively communicating technical guidance for safely remediating flooded homes
Resource: Risk communication tools to promote community resilience after flooding events, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Louisiana State University, and the University of Missouri
Project Period: 2019 ‒ Present

“Environmental health hazards such as mold, lead, asbestos and carbon monoxide associated with flooded homes present a unique and challenging problem for homeowners and renters in Florida and elsewhere. We believe this collaborative project will help folks to understand how to safely reduce risks to their health while restoring their homes and lives.” ‒ Florida DOH Bureau of Environmental Health Chief and State Toxicologist Kendra Goff, PhD, DABT, CPM, CEHP

Florida residents face health risks from flooding, including indoor air quality hazards in flooded homes. Every year, the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF IFAS) provide technical guidance on ways to safely clean up a flooded home. The existing resources are not widely utilized and can be challenging to understand. To better inform the public about risks—and actions they can take to reduce them—EPA is partnering with Florida DOH, UF IFAS, other federal agencies (CDC, ATSDR, FEMA, and HUD) and experts from Louisiana State University and the University of Missouri. Together, they are developing a strategically designed website that includes how-to videos, infographics, and other materials designed to inform the types of decisions flood survivors have to make about their homes and the social context in which they make those decisions.

EPA ORD, in collaboration with EPA Region 4 (Southeast), utilized human-centered design and disaster anthropology to create an innovative risk communication strategy to produce materials targeted to people impacted by flooding. To do so, EPA and partners interviewed residents of Florida and other states who had recently experienced flooding due to Hurricanes Dorian, Michael, and Irma. Based on what they learned, the researchers created a website tailored to homeowners, renters and volunteers working to fix up flooded homes.

The publicly available website is available here: Flooded Homes Cleanup Guidance. This resource will improve the resiliency of communities facing flood and other disasters involving water intrusion in their homes.