Analysis of the Determinants of Household Resilience to Environmental Shocks in Flood-Prone Areas of Anambra State

Building household resilience to recurrent flooding requires understanding the capital assets, institutional arrangements, and livelihood diversification strategies that enable recovery and prevent long-term welfare deterioration following flood events. This study analyses the determinants of household resilience to environmental shocks in flood-prone communities along the River Niger floodplain in Anambra State. A resilience measurement framework integrating absorptive, adaptive, and transformative capacity dimensions was operationalised through a survey instrument administered to 320 households in eight flood-affected communities across four Local Government Areas. Capital asset endowments across financial, physical, human, social, and natural capital dimensions were measured, and a composite household resilience index was computed. Tobit regression identifies statistically significant determinants of resilience index scores. Results indicate that social capital, particularly membership in community savings groups and participation in communal flood preparedness activities, is the strongest positive predictor of household resilience after controlling for income. Physical capital, specifically access to elevated structural materials and household productive equipment, also shows significant positive associations. Households dependent on a single agricultural income source display significantly lower resilience scores. Women-headed households show lower resilience on financial and physical capital dimensions but equivalent or higher social capital scores. Flood early warning information access is positively associated with adaptive capacity but not consistently available across sampled communities. Recommendations address community savings group strengthening, early warning system expansion, diversification support through rural enterprise programmes, and targeted physical asset protection schemes for the most vulnerable households. Keywords: household resilience, flood vulnerability, Anambra State, livelihood capitals, disaster risk reduction.