Abstract

The study is aimed at examining the vulnerability of some residential neighbourhoods in Calabar to the menace of flooding with a view to determining residential areas of high, medium and low flood risk. Two hypotheses were formulated such as: there is no significant relationship between the magnitude of flood, and the vulnerability of residential neighbourhoods and the elements-at-risk to flood in residential neighbourhoods in Calabar do not vary significantly according to the topography of the area. The major primary data were obtained from the metric measurement of the coverage of flood and the assessment of the numerical value of the residential buildings considered vulnerable to flood within the areas measured. Secondary data were also obtained from the collection of both published and unpublished materials and data on flooded buildings and displaced persons were also obtained from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Calabar. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and hypotheses tested using the regression coefficient of the least square method and scatter grams for prediction. The results of the hypotheses were found to be significant as the magnitude of flood determined the vulnerability of some residential neighbourhoods. Vulnerability was found to be higher in low lying residential neighbourhoods. The study, however, recommends among others, planned and autonomous adaptation responses, flood plain zoning to urban agriculture, landscaping and recreational uses. Proper channelization of Calabar urban drainage system, stringent flood control legislation, and development control measures should be enforced so as to discourage people from building on or near flood-prone areas of Calabar.

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