Most engineering research focuses on the natural causes of floods, while neglecting the important role that individuals and institutions take in both causing and mitigating floods. To investigate the role of human systems relative to floods, we are currently assessing how perceptions of flood risk and personal efficacy influence choices for or against implementation of mitigation measures in urban environments of developing countries, using Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso as a case study. The study results will yield valuable insights into the relationship between floods and people in developing countries in West Africa. The research is being performed in collaboration with the Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering in Burkina Faso and with funding from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

Framework guiding our exploration of the complex interactions between natural and human systems affecting floods in West Africa – schematic for the natural system is reproduced from Galvin 2010 Weather