Flood Mitigation and Adaptation Model (F-Mam-Ab22): An Integrated Approach To Building Damage Reduction for Flood-Resilient Built Environments in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Addressing the continued destructive effects of floods on buildings and the built environment has been a more than a decade-old problem for the people of Bayelsa State, one of the geographical States in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Past empirical investigations in Bayelsa State have conducted independent studies to investigate the effectiveness of structural flood control measures and building-level adaptation measures. Although these studies were partially successful when used independently, they failed to answer the question of how the two strategies can be integrated to form a cohesive flood management framework that is distinct to Baylsa State. Regardless of these different efforts, buildings and built environment continue to experience high inundation depths, long flood duration, building damages and constant devastation by major floods in the State. The paper takes a model development framework, synthesis of previous empirical research on structural flood mitigation and building adaptation measures in Bayelsa State, to formulate an integrated flood mitigation and adaptation model (F-MAM-AB22). The proposed model was formed using the effective mitigation and adaptation practices, and the nature-based solutions reported in the literature were relevant. The F-MAM-AB22 model presents an effective decision-support model capable of increasing resilience to building damage, as well as minimizing the level of damage in comparison with the implementation of isolated strategies. The model provides a viable decision support tool to the policy makers, designers and other stakeholders who would like to realize flood resilient built environments in flood-prone areas in Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta generally. Received: 16 January 2026 / Accepted: 28 February 2026 / Published: March 2026