![]() Given the growing importance of flash flood research, we investigated the experiences of flash flooding in Ellicott City, MD. Given these concurrent trends of climate change and urbanization, flash floods may increase in strength and frequency and devastate more lives in the future. Research on flash flooding is of the upmost importance given the increase in severity of storm events from climate change and the rising installation of impervious surfaces from urbanization. Despite this, the number of studies that have qualitatively reported the experiences of individuals impacted by flash flooding through phenomenological studies is limited, especially within the United States. ![]() Further, flash flooding is one of the leading causes of death from natural/environmental disasters in the United States. In the United States, 99% of counties were impacted by at least one flooding event between 1995–2019. As we discuss throughout this paper, these factors often influenced whether individuals stayed or relocated after flash flooding. Existing qualitative literature on the lived experiences of individuals who experienced flooding have revealed themes such as anxiety during rainfall, changes in interpersonal relationships, loss of place of employment, mental health issues, and community altruism. Sense of place is largely impacted by an individual’s unique history, values, emotions, beliefs, memories, and experiences. Previous literature on sense of place has described it as a person’s or group’s meaningful relationship with their environment. Īccording to previously published literature, individuals who unwillingly relocated after flooding reported not only losing their homes, but also their sense of place and self-identity. Flash flooding is expected to have different health, economic, and destruction impacts than overbank flooding because of its sudden and unexpected onset. įlash floods in urban areas can occur with only minutes to a few hours of heavy rainfall, potentially devasting lives and infrastructure along their path. Approximately 71 people were displaced after the first flash flood in 2016 and over 60 were displaced after the second in 2018. The Historic District, also known as Main Street or Old Ellicott City, and the nearby neighborhoods suffered the most damage from these flash floods. Homes, small local businesses, vehicles, possessions, and lives were lost. This paper aims to identify burdens and understand flood victims’ decisions to help policy makers improve flood response efforts.Įllicott City, MD was devasted by two rare large flash floods, one in 2016 and another in 2018. This reveals the complexity of relocation and sense of place after natural/environmental disasters and supports previous literature that suggests tailored response efforts based on these unique set of burdens. The results of our study indicate that reasons individuals who experience flash flooding stay, or leave may include community/historical, environmental, emotional, and economic factors. The most common reasons participants left were: (1) Emotional Exhaustion and Frustration, (2) Fear/Anxiety, and (3) Financial Burden. The most common reasons participants stayed were: (1) Community Impact, (2) Historical Land, and (3) Financial Burden. ![]() Data were generated through in-depth interviews with 19 participants from the Historic District and adjacent neighborhoods in Ellicott City. We utilized a phenomenological approach to answer these research questions. In this study, we reveal reasons why some who experienced flash flooding continued to stay the flood zone and why some leave. A lack of qualitative research has been conducted on topics related to sense of place and flash flooding, especially in the United States. Ellicott City, MD was devasted by flash flooding in 20.
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