Assessment of Readiness Perception of the Causes and Impacts of Flood Disaster in Osun State, Nigeria

Flood disasters are the most frequent and socioeconomically costly natural hazard in sub-Saharan Africa, but very few studies have focused on community-level preparedness perception, especially in Nigeria states. This study evaluated residents' perception of disaster incidence preparedness in relation to the causes and effects of flood subjecting to its natural characteristic in Osun State, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to assess residents' perceived causes of flooding in flood-prone communities in Osun State; examine the perceived socioeconomic and public health impacts of flooding and level of flood preparedness among residents in the study area. We used a descriptive cross-sectional survey design and employed a structured questionnaire to collect data from 384 household heads selected from communities in five local government areas of Osun State that are prone to flooding, with 367 usable responses (response rate = 95.6%). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and binary logistic regression. Abstract Results indicated that poor drainage infrastructure (82.5), indiscriminate waste disposal (76.3) and unplanned urban development (68.9) were the commonly cited perceived causes of flooding in the area of study. Overall, flood preparedness was low, with just over 34.2% of respondents indicating that they were adequately prepared for a flood, despite the fact that 77.4% of respondents had direct experience. Flooding was considered to trigger disruptions in livelihood (79.1%), displacement (71.4%), and outbreaks of waterborne diseases (65.8%). Flood readiness in Osun state is found to be subsistently low, engendered by structural governance inefficiencies and pervasive socio-economic inequality.