The article examines household perceptions of flooding as part of climate change in two low elevation
coastal zone cities in the Caribbean. The research examines differences in vulnerability of households as
the combined results of socio-economic inequalities in entitlements and exposure to natural hazards e
flooding and extreme rainfall. Case studies of Paramaribo and Georgetown show that household exposure
to floods is increasing, with lower-income groups suffering longer from exposure and with more
damaging effects. Such effects are time lost in work and education, damages to assets, and stress.
Households in lower-income areas take more measures to prevent flooding than higher-income
households. During floods social capital leads to mutual help among neighbors, but this is not carried
through to collective organization in preventive strategies. Links with local government are also found to
be lacking. Results show a lack of city-wide organization and participative measures for the households
concerned, with possible detrimental effects on lower-income households