Region 4: Enhanced Post Flooding Risk Communication to Reduce Indoor Air Health Hazards

As people return to clean-up and decontaminate buildings after flooding, they are at elevated risks of indoor air related illnesses. A clear need exists for the general public to understand safe and effective practices for cleaning and decontaminating residences after a disaster. Although EPA provides detailed technical advice on strategies for returning flooded buildings to habitable conditions, much of the current technical information does not adequately address the social and decision context of end users, making it difficult to utilize in the community. This project will use social science tools and the “agile development process” to create an interactive outreach tool that communicates risk reduction strategies after a flooding event. The project will focus on better ways to communicate risk reduction practices related to indoor air health hazards in flooded residences. Using existing technical resources and guidance, this project will evaluate which methods of information dissemination provide easy to understand decision-making outcomes (i.e., how to better meet the specific needs of users). The goal is to understand user perspectives and information needs about methods for cleaning up flooded buildings while reducing indoor air health risks. The project will create a user-friendly, online tool that leads to more effective sharing of technical information.