Luther student is studying "flood resilience" this summer

Halina Pyzdrowski

Decorah and other Winneshiek County communities have experienced a number of "100-year floods" in the last 10 or 15 years. That's why a Luther College senior, Halina Pyzdrowski from Minnetonka, Minnesota, is researching flood resilience in the Upper Iowa Watershed for her summer research project at the college. Pyzdrowski is majoring in environmental studies at Luther.

"The opportunity to participate in this research project was presented to me by one of my professors at Luther last spring. Since I was in the area during the 2016 flood and witnessed the damage that community members experienced, I was intrigued by the project's aim to explore flooding as an issue at the community level. I was also really excited to work alongside community members in an effort to better protect the community that is special to me," said Pyzdrowski.

Pyzdrowski is working on her project with Luther assistant professor of environmental studies and political science Rachel Brummel, Luther associate professor of economics Steve Holland, Luther associate professor of philosophy and environmental studies Jon Jensen and Luther associate professor of social work Britt Rhodes.  Her project is titled, "Examining Flood Resilience in the Upper Iowa Watershed."

Pyzdrowski's research is aimed at understanding and ultimately enhancing flood resilience in communities across Northeastern Iowa.  Climate change affects the likelihood of flooding as a warmer air holds more moisture, leading to heavier precipitation.

"Luther College is partnering with the Iowa Flood Center at the University of Iowa and the Upper Iowa Watershed Management Authority to analyze flood resilience in communities across northeastern Iowa. Community flood resilience refers to the ability of people living in a common watershed to plan and act collectively to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from a flood. In other words, resilience refers to a community's ability to 'bounce back' from a disaster and become better prepared to manage future events," said Pyzdrowski.

"In the early stages of our research, our team is becoming familiar with resilience literature, attending meetings with local organizations, and interviewing area residents who were affected by the 2008 and 2016 floods," added Pyzdrowski.

Pyzdrowski explained, "Our research will be helpful to Decorah and Winneshiek County and to the entire state of Iowa in several ways. First, we think that asking people to tell their stories will provide us with an in-depth understanding of the individual during a disaster. Eventually, our research will be used as a supplement to a county-wide hazard mitigation plan and (will) help to strengthen communities against disaster damage in the future. The work we've done in the Upper Iowa Watershed will also be used as a model for other watersheds implementing flood resilience plans into their communities."

Professor Brummel added, "We'll be continuing to contact and learn from people in the community, including contacts for community and government organizations, as well as those affected by flooding."

The Upper Iowa Watershed study began in June of 2017 and will continue for three years. It will then be used as a reference point for other watersheds across Iowa as they develop their own resiliency plans.

The project Pyzdrowski and the Luther teachers are working on will end by the summer of 2022.  "We want these resources to be helpful at the governmental/organizational level, as well as accessible to individuals in the community," explained Pyzdrowski.

The results of Pyzdrowski's work will be presented at Luther's Student Research Symposium next spring.