LAUSR

This article reviews the relationships between risk perception towards structural measures in three levels: (i) perception over authorities' ability to mitigate flood risks; (ii) the role of flood experience in shaping risk perception; and (iii) the ways structural measures shapes decision making for protective actions. The main finding emerging from this analytical framework is that survey respondents do not suffer from 'the levee paradox'. Most residents take precautionary actions against residual flood risks. The undertaking of these actions, however, does not mean that there is lack of trust on structural measures for reducing major flood risks, on the contrary. Most residents agree on the necessity of engineering structures to mitigate inherent flood risks. This support, however, does not carry on to the management of these structures. Residents attribute their losses during the 2011 major flood event in Southeast Queensland, Australia, to operational decisions on dam water releases. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.