The increasing prevalence of urban flooding, attributed to rapid urbanization and climate change, poses significant risks to human life and adds to the health burden of urban populations. As shown by the National Weather Service (NWS) Preliminary United States Flood Fatality Statistics, there are 146 flood-related fatalities in 2021—the second highest number recorded in North American countries. Notably, in both 2021 and 2022, nearly 80% of these fatalities occurred in cars or homes, and 60% involved people over the age of 60.
With the rapid advancement of technology, several researchers have begun to explore the use of virtual reality (VR) to simulate disaster scenarios. The advantages of VR are that it provides a feedback loop between the environmental factors and human decision making, and ultimately to predict potential human responses in different flood scenarios.
To better understand how people perceive flooding, this project uses VR technology to simulate the rise of water during flooding. We hope to learn more about how people make decisions to escape flooding and protect themselves from flood risk.