From Children to Adults, from Stories to Games: Experiences on Flood Hazard Communication

Over the past twenty years, flooding events have affected approximately 80 million people worldwide. Currently, around one in four people is exposed to severe flooding, and climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme events in the future. To address this global challenge, effective flood risk management plays a crucial role in reducing human losses, economic damage, and environmental impacts. In addition, raising awareness among communities is a key task in preparation for these catastrophic events. Communicating flood hazard helps people understand potential threats, enabling them to prepare, adapt, and take adequate precautionary measures. To help spread the knowledge about flood hazard, this work presents three activities specifically designed for children, adolescents, and adults. Firstly, a story describing the journey of two raindrops aims to make children aware of the existence of hydraulic infrastructures and their role in mitigating floods. The second multidisciplinary activity, designed as an interactive lesson for adolescents, consists of an imaginary walk along the Po River in Northern Italy to explore its main characteristics and historical floods, from hydraulic, geographical, and literary perspectives. Finally, the third activity is a quiz that allows adults to discover their level of knowledge about flood management. These three experiences show ways to engage community members of all ages to improve resilience and response to flood events.