Risk perception is examined in the context of the Red River flood of 1997. The role that experience with prior flood events plays in risk perception is highlighted as well as the impacts of experience on the mitigation actions selected by individuals. The Red River flood of 1997 demonstrated that individuals with different prior flood experience could be expected to behave differently during a flood event. This implies that flood warnings should be tailored to the characteristics of the target audience. ¿ 1999 American Geophysical Union