scholarly journals Construction of an integrated social vulnerability index in urban areas prone to flash flooding

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 1541-1557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Estefania Aroca-Jimenez ◽  
Jose Maria Bodoque ◽  
Juan Antonio Garcia ◽  
Andres Diez-Herrero
Keyword(s):  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Flash Flooding ◽  
Size Limitation

Abstract. Among the natural hazards, flash flooding is the leading cause of weather-related deaths. Flood risk management (FRM) in this context requires a comprehensive assessment of the social risk component. In this regard, integrated social vulnerability (ISV) can incorporate spatial distribution and contribution and the combined effect of exposure, sensitivity and resilience to total vulnerability, although these components are often disregarded. ISV is defined by the demographic and socio-economic characteristics that condition a population's capacity to cope with, resist and recover from risk and can be expressed as the integrated social vulnerability index (ISVI). This study describes a methodological approach towards constructing the ISVI in urban areas prone to flash flooding in Castilla y León (Castile and León, northern central Spain, 94 223 km2, 2 478 376 inhabitants). A hierarchical segmentation analysis (HSA) was performed prior to the principal components analysis (PCA), which helped to overcome the sample size limitation inherent in PCA. ISVI was obtained from weighting vulnerability factors based on the tolerance statistic. In addition, latent class cluster analysis (LCCA) was carried out to identify spatial patterns of vulnerability within the study area. Our results show that the ISVI has high spatial variability. Moreover, the source of vulnerability in each urban area cluster can be identified from LCCA. These findings make it possible to design tailor-made strategies for FRM, thereby increasing the efficiency of plans and policies and helping to reduce the cost of mitigation measures.

scholarly journals Construction of an Integrated Social Vulnerability Index in urban areas prone to flash flooding

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Estefania Aroca-Jimenez ◽  
Jose Maria Bodoque ◽  
Juan Antonio Garcia ◽  
Andres Diez-Herrero
Keyword(s):  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Flash Flooding ◽  
Size Limitation

Abstract. Flash floods are considered to be one of the natural hazards with the greatest capacity to generate risk. Therefore, a change in traditional flood risk management (FRM) is necessary towards an integrated approach, which requires a comprehensive assessment of the social risk component. In this regard, integrated social vulnerability (ISV) gives us the spatial distribution, contribution and combined effect of exposure, sensitivity and resilience to the total vulnerability, although these components are often disregarded. ISV is characterized by the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics that condition a population's capacity to cope with, resist and recover from risk, and it can be derived from assessing the Integrated Social Vulnerability Index (ISVI). As far as we know, it has not yet provided a methodological approach to construct the ISVI in urban areas of Castilla y León (northern central Spain, 94,223 km2, 2,478,376 inhabitants) prone to flash flooding. A hierarchical segmentation analysis (HSA) was performed prior to the principal components analysis (PCA), which helped to overcome sample size limitation inherent to PCA. ISVI was obtained from weighting vulnerability factors based on the tolerance statistic. Additionally, latent class cluster analysis (LCCA) was accomplished aiming to identify vulnerability spatial patterns within the study area. Our results show that the ISVI has high spatial variability. Moreover, the LCCA allowed us to identify the source of vulnerability in each urban area cluster. These findings enable a tailored design of FRM strategies, which intends to increase the efficiency of plans and policies, helping reduce implementation costs for mitigation measures.

scholarly journals Assessment of Social Vulnerability to Floods in the Floodplain of Northern Italy

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 717-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Roder ◽  
G. Sofia ◽  
Z. Wu ◽  
P. Tarolli
Keyword(s):  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Flood Hazard ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Elevated Concentration ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Spatial Detection

Abstract Practices for reducing the impacts of floods are becoming more and more advanced, centered on communities and reaching out to vulnerable populations. Vulnerable individuals are characterized by social and economic attributes and by societal dynamics rooted in each community. These indicators can magnify the negative impacts of disasters together with the capacity of each individual to cope with these events. The Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) provides an empirical basis to compare social differences in various spatial scenarios and for specific environmental hazards. This research shows the application of the SoVI to the floodplain of northern Italy, based on the use of 15 census variables. The chosen study area is of particular interest for the high occurrence of flood events coupled with a high level of human activity, landscape transformations, and an elevated concentration of assets and people. The analysis identified a positive spatial autocorrelation across the floodplain that translates into the spatial detection of vulnerable groups, those that are likely to suffer the most from floods. In a second stage, the output of the index was superimposed on the flood hazard map of the study area to analyze the resulting risk. The Piemonte and Veneto regions contain the main areas prone to flood “social” risk, highlighting the need for a cohesive management approach at all levels to recognize local capacities and increase communication, awareness, and preparedness to mitigate the undesirable effects of such events.

scholarly journals Social Vulnerability across the Great Lakes Basin: A County-Level Comparative and Spatial Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7274
Author(s):  
Joshua T. Fergen ◽  
Ryan D. Bergstrom
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Great Lakes Basin ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Social Vulnerabilities

Social vulnerability refers to how social positions affect the ability to access resources during a disaster or disturbance, but there is limited empirical examination of its spatial patterns in the Great Lakes Basin (GLB) region of North America. In this study, we map four themes of social vulnerability for the GLB by using the Center for Disease Control’s Social Vulnerability Index (CDC SVI) for every county in the basin and compare mean scores for each sub-basin to assess inter-basin differences. Additionally, we map LISA results to identify clusters of high and low social vulnerability along with the outliers across the region. Results show the spatial patterns depend on the social vulnerability theme selected, with some overlapping clusters of high vulnerability existing in Northern and Central Michigan, and clusters of low vulnerability in Eastern Wisconsin along with outliers across the basins. Differences in these patterns also indicate the existence of an urban–rural dimension to the variance in social vulnerabilities measured in this study. Understanding regional patterns of social vulnerability help identify the most vulnerable people, and this paper presents a framework for policymakers and researchers to address the unique social vulnerabilities across heterogeneous regions.

scholarly journals Applying the Social Vulnerability Index as a Leading Indicator to Protect Fire-Based Emergency Medical Service Responders’ Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 8049
Author(s):  
Emily J. Haas ◽  
Alexa Furek ◽  
Megan Casey ◽  
Katherine N. Yoon ◽  
Susan M. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Response ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Fire Service ◽  
Household Composition ◽  
Fire Departments ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Leading Indicator ◽  
Increased Risk

During emergencies, areas with higher social vulnerability experience an increased risk for negative health outcomes. However, research has not extrapolated this concept to understand how the workers who respond to these areas may be affected. Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) merged approximately 160,000 emergency response calls received from three fire departments during the COVID-19 pandemic with the CDC’s publicly available Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to examine the utility of SVI as a leading indicator of occupational health and safety risks. Multiple regressions, binomial logit models, and relative weights analyses were used to answer the research questions. Researchers found that higher social vulnerability on household composition, minority/language, and housing/transportation increase the risk of first responders’ exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Higher socioeconomic, household, and minority vulnerability were significantly associated with response calls that required emergency treatment and transport in comparison to fire-related or other calls that are also managed by fire departments. These results have implications for more strategic emergency response planning during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as improving Total Worker Health® and future of work initiatives at the worker and workplace levels within the fire service industry.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of mass treatment of Schistosoma mansoni infection in socially vulnerable areas of a state in northeastern Brazil, 2011–2014

2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávia Silvestre Outtes Wanderley ◽  
Ulisses Montarroyos ◽  
Cristine Bonfim ◽  
Carolina Cunha-Correia
Keyword(s):  
Schistosoma Mansoni ◽  
Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Multiple Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Mass Treatment ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Treatment Information

Abstract Background To assess the effectiveness of mass treatment of Schistosoma mansoni infection in socially vulnerable endemic areas in northeastern Brazil. Method An ecological study was conducted, in which 118 localities in 30 municipalities in the state of Pernambuco were screened before 2011 and in 2014 (after mass treatment). Information on the endemic baseline index, mass treatment coverage, socio-environmental conditions and social vulnerability index were used in the multiple correspondence analysis. One hundred fourteen thousand nine hundred eighty-seven people in 118 locations were examined. Results The first two dimensions of the multiple correspondence analysis represented 55.3% of the variability between locations. The human capital component of the social vulnerability index showed an association with the baseline endemicity index. There was a significant reduction in positivity for schistosomes. For two rounds, for every extra 1% of initial endemicity index, the fixed effect of 13.62% increased by 0.0003%, achieving at most 15.94%. Conclusions The mass treatment intervention helped to reduce transmission of schistosomiasis in areas of high endemicity. Thus, it can be recommended that application of mass treatment should be accompanied by other control actions, such as basic sanitation, monitoring of intermediate vectors and case surveillance.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document