As with any household survey, the respondents, interviewers,
and questionnaire itself affect the results. For example, the results
show that many, but not all, respondents suffer from floods and
chemical or oil spill incidents. Yet, these results do not necessarily
show whether the population is vulnerable to these events. If a
household never experienced pluvial flooding, they might not
perceive it as a threat, but they can still be vulnerable to such an
event. A household might also perceive that it is very vulnerable to
a specific threat, but that perception is unjustified due to superior
protection (e.g. a newly constructed dyke next to the coast that a
household might not be aware of yet). Additionally, this survey is
conducted in the autumn (October 2013), which influences the
questionnaire results. Different crops grow in different seasons,
alternative irrigation methods depend on precipitation rates, and
the repercussions of seasonal hazards affect the opinions of the
respondents. For example, in the rainy season, respondents might
worry more about pluvial flooding than in the dry season. These are
the limitations of any household survey, although such information
can be shown by means of cadastral maps, inspections of protective
measures, and to an extent through earth observation, none of
which was available during the survey period. The survey does
provide information regarding historic and recurring events, which
may not be revealed by the aforementioned data, as well as infor-
mation regarding the awareness and opinions of the respondents,
which can be used by local governments, policy makers etc. as in-
dicators where awareness campaigns or additional mitigation ef-
forts might be necessary.