Perception of the flash flood hazard by the population of Mindelo, S. Vicente (Cape Verde)

Abstract. São Vicente island (Republic of Cape Verde) lies within the Sahelian zone and faces several natural hazards of which one of the most significant is the flash flooding hazard. Based on a questionnaire entitled Flash Flood Hazard Perception in Cabo Verde applied to 199 subjects we seek to specifically ascertain some of the factors which influence behavioural decision making to be adopted by populations when confronted with this natural hazard. To identify the primary factors associated with perception of flash flood risk, a multivariate technique of the principal components analyses (PCA) were performed. The results obtained on this study suggest that women present higher levels of knowledge on this type of natural hazard. The study reveal slickly statistical differences between the groups with and without prior experience of flash floods concerning the perceptions, causal attributions, knowledge and perception of support from public entities regarding the flash flood hazard. There is a significant association between causal attributions and the degree of knowledge regarding the flash floods hazard, suggesting that the individuals who tend to attribute the phenomenon of flash floods to external factors, evidencing adequate knowledge on this type of natural hazard.