This lesson is appropriate for those interested in river disaster preparedness and can be used with audiences ranging from freshmen and sophomore undergraduate STEM and non-STEM students, homeowners, and first responders. This lesson can accommodate 10-24 students with groups of two formed for discussions. Site conditions for this lesson should be baseflow and location can be any river that has evidence of previous floods and infrastructure (e.g.: roadways, powerlines, houses) in sight. Specialized equipment needs include one tape measure per group ot two. Resources included with this lesson include a detailed lesson plan with reflection assignments, and a field data sheet. Optional materials are also part of this lesson and include a pre-assessment and pre-lesson resources to explore. This lesson is dedicated to the memory of the more than 200 individuals who lost their lives in Hurricane Helene.
Destini N. Petitt (2026) studied this question.