Sustainability and Social Justice
Date
5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Environmental Science and Policy (ES&P)
Department
Sustainability and Social Justice
Chief Instructor
Morgan Ruelle
Second Reader
Eman Lasheen
Keywords
Flooding, Adaptation Strategies, Coastal Informal Settlements, Adaptive Capacity, Impacts, Factors
Abstract
Changes in climate have altered rainfall patterns as we once knew them, triggering extreme weather events like floods and affecting millions of people across the world. The impacts of floods are persistent and severe in marginalized coastal communities with poor drainage infrastructure and limited government support. This study examined the flooding adaptation strategies of a coastal informal settlement, a case study of the Culvert Community in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Using a qualitative case study design, I collected data through in-depth interviews, focus groups, and transect walks. Findings revealed that community residents employ various strategies under the PARA framework. Residents “Protect” their community through periodic drainage cleaning exercises, filling sacks with gravel, and using old tires as artificial walls to prevent water from entering their homes, “Accommodate” through modifying housing structures like building multi-story houses with flood-resilient materials, increasing heights of foundations, and building double-staired corrugated zinc houses and creating storage areas by mounting shelves in their rooms, and “Retreat” by taking valuables to family/friends outside the community. The adaptive capacities of residents are shaped by social, cultural, political, and especially economic factors. The study concludes that the impacts of floods reveal not only the rapid shift in climate but also infrastructure deficits, governance issues, compliance challenges, and economic vulnerabilities. To reduce the impacts of recurrent floods in informal coastal communities, the study recommends strengthening institutional support, enhancing community engagement in policy formulation, and investing in flood-resilient infrastructure.
Recommended Citation
TURAY, ABDULAI, "Climate Crisis in Freetown: Examining the Flooding Adaptation Strategies of Coastal Informal Settlements, A Case Study of Culvert Community, Freetown, Sierra Leone" (2025). Sustainability and Social Justice. 2.
https://commons.clarku.edu/graduate_idce/2
Worcester
No
Included in
Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Social Justice Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons
Comments
This study examines the adaptation strategies employed by local residents in coastal communities of Freetown, Sierra Leone, in response to recurrent flooding events. It further explores the various factors (economic, social, cultural, and political) that influence people's ability to adapt to floods in their locality.