Unique Experiences as Part of Our Natural Hazard Management Degree

For the last nine years, our Natural Hazard Management students have visited the North Wales coast to learn more about the challenges facing communities at risk of flooding. We have been fortunate during that time to be supported by Councillor Barry Griffiths, who was previously a flood warden in North Wales. Barry has had first-hand experience of flooding during the 1990 Towyn event, which means that he understands the wide range of challenges facing his community in relation to flooding.

During our Hazard Processes and Human Vulnerability module, you are offered the opportunity to interview Councillor Griffiths to develop your understanding of the challenges of managing flood risk in small communities and to better understand local perceptions.

Visits like these are a key addition to the fantastic learning opportunities you will experience on our Natural Hazard Management course. Learning from a source of expertise means that you will gain a unique perspective on key issues while progressing your question design skills, interview skills, and your ability to communicate professionally online. These skills are relevant to your learning and beyond as they contribute to your final year dissertation project and also to enhancing your employability once you leave university.

As part of the course, we teach that in order to be able to manage flood risk effectively, understanding the perspectives and perceptions of the local community is essential. If individuals do not believe that they are at risk, then they are unlikely to take any action, so risk perception is a core part of our degree. You will also explore both environmental and social dimensions of disasters at a range of scales from global to local.  By understanding hazard processes, and learning how to assess their impacts, monitor changes and communicate effectively for crisis response, you will develop the knowledge and skills required to address local and global hazard management challenges.  

There is also a second opportunity to meet with Councillor Griffiths during fieldwork to the North Wales coast several weeks later, as he shows us areas that have started to make adaptations to their homes to be more flood resilient.

This is a significant opportunity for you to meet, and hear firsthand, experiences of being flooded and how flooding is managed within this region. Learning from an authentic source through valuable visits to key areas develops your employability, understanding and transferable skills. Previous students have always found the interviews insightful and have used the data collected to help inform their assignments.

Insightful experiences and forward-thinking learning will help you to develop into a future-focused graduate who can make a real difference in the world as a Natural Hazard Management graduate. Make sure to get involved and check out our course page for more information on how you can start your learning journey.    

Find out more about studying Natural Hazard Management at Chester.