Coping With Extremes: An Assessment of Adaptive Strategies to Heat and Flood Hazards in the Upper Benue River Basin, Nigeria

Climate change has intensified extreme heat and flood hazards across sub-Saharan Africa, yet household coping mechanisms in vulnerable riverine basins remain under-documented. This study employed a mixed-methods design to assess the adaptive strategies employed by households in the Upper Benue River Basin, Nigeria, a region spanning Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe, and Bauchi states with approximately 15.55 million people. Quantitative data were collected through a structured survey of 400 households across four flood-prone urban centers, while qualitative data were gathered via semi-structured interviews (n=120), focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. Thematic analysis revealed five dominant themes: behavioral heat coping strategies (increased water consumption, lighter clothing, ventilation); flood response measures (drainage clearing, temporary relocation, community rescue); reliance on social networks (70.0% reporting moderate to strong community support); indigenous knowledge for early warning (tree phenology, animal behavior); and barriers to adaptation. Financial constraints (60.5%), lack of information (25.0%), and absent government response (89.0% rating local government as ineffective) severely limit adaptive capacity. While community networks provide critical support during localized events, they are overwhelmed during widespread floods. Only 14.5% of households have received formal training on disaster preparedness, and 25.3% receive no flood warning. Indigenous knowledge faces generational transfer challenges. The study concludes that enhancing resilience requires affordable, community-engaged interventions that address financial, informational, and governance deficits while leveraging existing social capital and indigenous knowledge systems.