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Population vulnerability to storm surge flooding in coastal Virginia, USA
Author(s) -
Liu Hua,
Behr Joshua G,
Diaz Rafael
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
integrated environmental assessment and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1551-3793
pISSN - 1551-3777
DOI - 10.1002/ieam.1705
Subject(s) - storm surge , vulnerability (computing) , flooding (psychology) , geography , population , preparedness , vulnerability assessment , environmental planning , storm , socioeconomic status , environmental resource management , environmental science , environmental health , meteorology , psychological resilience , medicine , computer security , psychology , computer science , political science , law , psychotherapist
This study aims to assess the vulnerability of populations to storm surge flooding in 12 coastal localities of Virginia, USA. Population vulnerability is assessed by way of 3 physical factors (elevation, slope, and storm surge category), 3 built‐up components (road availability, access to hospitals, and access to shelters), and 3 household conditions (storm preparedness, financial constraints to recovering from severe weather events, and health fragility). Fuzzy analysis is used to generate maps illustrating variation in several types of population vulnerability across the region. When considering physical factors and household conditions, the most vulnerable neighborhoods to sea level rise and storm surge flooding are largely found in urban areas. However, when considering access to critical infrastructure, we find rural residents to be more vulnerable than nonrural residents. These detailed assessments can inform both local and state governments in catastrophic planning. In addition, the methodology may be generalized to assess vulnerability in other coastal corridors and communities. The originality is highlighted by evaluating socioeconomic conditions at refined scale, incorporating a broader range of human perceptions and predispositions, and employing a geoinformatics approach combining physical, built‐up, and socioeconomic conditions for population vulnerability assessment. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2016;12:500–509. © 2015 SETAC