2. Methodology
Data was collected for this study through interviews, survey questionnaire, document analysis and
field observation. The respondents involved in this study include the leaders/committee members (gatekeepers)
of the study area's CBO, members of the flood-affected communities and officials from agencies
involved in flood management. Data were gathered from households in the study area through survey
questionnaires. The main objective of this survey was to investigate how these communities cope with the
recurrent flood hazards with the assistance of the CBO† . Documents analysis (including reports,
periodicals, news articles and publications linked to flood hazard management agencies comprising of the
local authority, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, and the Malaysian Red Crescent Society)
enabled the investigator to trace both factual and interpretive information about the implementation
processes. The researcher paid close attention to the interactions among the community members and
physical damages caused by the flooding as part of his field observation. All of the gathered data were
triangulated to give credibility and internal validity to the research findings.