Contrasting community experiences and recovery challenges in slow- and rapid-onset flooding: Insights from the 2022–2023 Australian floods

This study examined how onset speed shaped community experiences of flooding across four Australian communities, guided by three research questions: 

1) How did onset speed influence the communication channels used by flood-affected residents? 

2) How did onset speed shape risk perception and protective action behaviours of flood-affected residents? 

3) How did onset speed influence flood impacts and recovery challenges?

Findings reveal that while some experiences were similar across conditions, differences in onset speed were associated with variation in communication channel usage, risk perceptions, protective action behaviours, flood impacts, and recovery challenges, though these patterns should be interpreted alongside demographic and contextual differences between the two samples that may also have contributed to the variation observed. Slow-onset flooding, in particular, introduced unique complexities across the emergency response and recovery phase. These insights highlight the need for policy adjustments, in Australia and internationally, that better accommodate the prolonged nature and associated challenges of slow-onset events.