How do lessons learned from past flood experiences influence household-level flood resilience: A case study of Jiangnan village in Southern China

Abstract

The concept of flood resilience has gained increasing attention due to climate change. Although it is argued that learning is a crucial mechanism for improving flood resilience, few empirical studies have explored how lessons learned from past flood experiences influence flood resilience. It is also unknown whether there are any barriers preventing people from implementing the lessons learned and eroding the development of flood resilience. To address these gaps, this paper conducts a case study of Jiangnan village, a frequently flooded rural village in southern China. Jiangnan village was seriously flooded in 2022; however, it is surprising that only a few people living in the village experienced flood losses. Forty-four in-depth interviews with local villagers were conducted between 2022 and 2023, revealing that extensive local knowledge learned from past flood experiences helped reduce flood losses during the 2022 flood. We further concluded that the lessons learned significantly contributed to flood resilience by improving villager agility during flooding and promoting a holistic approach to flood risk reduction. Moreover, several barriers preventing people from implementing the lessons learned were identified, including a lack of accurate and timely flood risk communication, personal barriers, and changes in flood regimes. This study provides insights for flood risk management stakeholders that help them understand the value and limitations of local knowledge. We also advocate for flood management to reduce reliance on flood control and integrate a learning-based approach, enabling people to experiment with alternative practices during floods and then learn from their subsequent feedback.