Travail de fin d'études / Projet de fin d'études : La vulnérabilité résidentielle face au risque d'inondation : comment les habitants adaptent-ils leur logement en phase de crise ?

Abstract

The impact of global warming on human and natural systems is increasingly manifesting, as evidenced by the 432 natural disasters identified by the IPCC in 2021. These events have tragic consequences for the environment, the population, their homes and their property. In 2021, flooding will account for more than half of these disasters, including the historic flooding in Belgium last July. As these environmental conditions change, the notion of natural risk as we have understood it up to now tends to evolve. It is therefore essential to accompany this transition by enriching the existing theory in order to prepare ourselves for future natural disasters. In this regard, we mobilise the two guiding concepts of this thesis: residential vulnerability and adaptation of the habitat to the risk of flooding. The case of flooding in the Province of Liege in July 2021 constitutes the experimental framework of our research. It covers the experience of twelve families affected by the floods, using three methods of information collection: semi-directive interviews, inhabited surveys and commented photographs. These qualitative data allow (1) the study of housing adaptation operations in the crisis phase and (2) the identification of residential vulnerability factors that hinder the return to normalcy. Our research highlights individual competence in risk management, often underestimated by our public authorities. Disaster-affected residents are capable of completely redesigning their housing and comfort during the crisis phase; however, this capacity to adapt does not seem to be envisaged in the long term. The results also express the motivations and the different forms of housing adaptation that we have observed. Finally, they allow us to give an account of the situation in which the disaster victims currently find themselves and to identify the vectors that have influenced their journey towards a return to normalcy since the flood.