April 2021
Daniel Henstra
Bronwyn McIlroy-Young
The International Joint Commission’s Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Basin Study Board commissioned this White Paper, which draws on a review of academic and grey literature, interviews with professionals in relevant fields, and case studies of effective communication practices to provide recommendations for increasing public understanding of flood risk in the LCRR basin. Flood risk communication can be used to achieve numerous goals related to floodplain management. First, communication fulfills the government’s responsibility to inform and engage citizens in flood risk management. Second, it shares some responsibility for risk management with the public, and to encourage individuals to take action to reduce their flood risk. Third, flood risk communication supports other risk management instruments, such as flood insurance, land-use regulation, and flood risk maps. Some campaigns may go beyond simply informing the public by employing consulting or collaborative approaches that allow for mutual learning and enhance trust between the public and authorities.