The appraisal of human related intangible impacts of flooding
This project developed a way of giving a financial value to the health effects of flooding by incorporating it into economic appraisals of flood defence projects.
Documents
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Details
Objectives
This project was commissioned to improve understanding of how flooding affects people’s health and levels of stress. It also considered how to incorporate these types of effects into the economic assessment of flood risk. This can be used when deciding where to create flood defence projects.
Approach
The study used focus groups and trial surveys to understand the effects of flooding or flood risk on people’s health. It also explored the amount of money households would be willing to pay to avoid the effects of flooding.
The report was intended to help with valuing the health impacts of flooding on residents in England and Wales. It gives full details of how the survey was developed, and an analysis of the results. It also provides detailed instructions for using the results to estimate the economic impact of these health effects when appraising projects.
A simplified version of this approach has now been circulated to all operating authorities in England and is available as supplementary project appraisal guidance at Defra national archives.
The project started in 2001 and was completed in 2003 at a cost of £294,493.