scholarly journals Social vulnerability of rural households to flood hazards in western mountainous regions of Henan province, China

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 6727-6744 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Liu ◽  
Y. Li
Keyword(s):  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Rural Households ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Henan Province ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Flood Hazards ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Mountainous Regions

Abstract. Evaluating social vulnerability is a crucial issue in risk and disaster management. In this study, a household social vulnerability index (HSVI) to flood hazards was developed and used to assess the social vulnerability of rural households in western mountainous regions of Henan province, China. Eight key indicators were indentified through interactive discussions with multidisciplinary specialists and local farmers, and their weights were determined using principle component analysis (PCA). The results showed that (1) the ratio of perennial working in other places, hazard-related training and illiteracy ratio (15+) were the most dominant factors to social vulnerability. (2) The numbers of high, moderate and low vulnerable households were 14, 64 and 16, respectively, which accounted for 14.9, 68.1, and 17.0 % of the total interviewed rural households, respectively. (3) The correlation coefficient between household social vulnerability scores and casualties in a storm flood in July 2010 was significant at 0.05 significance level (r = 0.248), which indicated that the selected indicators and their weights were valid. (4) Some mitigation strategies to reduce the household social vulnerability to flood hazards were proposed based on the assessment results. The results provide useful information for rural households and local governments to prepare, mitigate and response to flood hazards.

scholarly journals Social vulnerability of rural households to flood hazards in western mountainous regions of Henan province, China

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1123-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Delin Liu ◽  
Yue Li
Keyword(s):  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Flood Hazard ◽  
Rural Households ◽  
Henan Province ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Flood Hazards ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Scoring Method ◽  
Mountainous Regions

Abstract. Evaluating social vulnerability is a crucial issue in risk and disaster management. In this study, a household social vulnerability index (HSVI) to flood hazards was developed and used to assess the social vulnerability of rural households in western mountainous regions of Henan province, China. Eight key indicators were identified using existing literature and discussions with experts from multiple disciplines and local farmers, and their weights were determined using principle component analysis (PCA) and an expert scoring method. The results showed that (1) the ratio of perennial work in other places, hazard-related training and illiteracy ratio (15+) were the most dominant factors of social vulnerability. (2) The numbers of high, moderate and low vulnerability households were 14, 64 and 16, respectively, which accounted for 14.9, 68.1 and 17.0 % of the total interviewed rural households, respectively. (3) The correlation coefficient between household social vulnerability scores and casualties in a storm flood in July 2010 was significant at 0.05 significance level (r  =  0.748), which indicated that the selected indicators and their weights were valid. (4) Some mitigation strategies to reduce household social vulnerability to flood hazards were proposed, which included (1) improving the local residents' income and their disaster-related knowledge and evacuation skills, (2) developing emergency plans and carrying out emergency drills and training, (3) enhancing the accuracy of disaster monitoring and warning systems and (4) establishing a specific emergency management department and comprehensive rescue systems. These results can provide useful information for rural households and local governments to prepare, mitigate and respond to flood hazards, and the corresponding strategies can help local households to reduce their social vulnerability and improve their ability to resist flood hazard.

scholarly journals An Assessment of Social and Physical Vulnerability to Hydroclimate Extremes in Appalachia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah R. Handwerger ◽  
Jennifer R. Runkle ◽  
Ronald Leeper ◽  
Elizabeth Shay ◽  
Kara Dempsey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Precipitation Variability ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Physical Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
Vulnerability Indicators

Abstract Appalachia is a cultural region in the southern and central Appalachian Mountains that lags behind the nation in several social vulnerability indicators. Climate projections over this region indicate that precipitation variability will increase in both severity and frequency in future decades, suggesting that the occurrence of natural hazards related to hydroclimate extremes will also increase. The objective of this study was to investigate the spatiotemporal patterns of drought and precipitation and determine how trends overlap with vulnerable communities across Appalachia. The study utilized trend analysis through Mann-Kendall calculations and a Social Vulnerability Index, resulting in a bivariate map that displays areas most susceptible to adverse effects from hydroclimate extremes. Results show the southwestern portion of the region as most vulnerable to increased precipitation, and the central-southeast most vulnerable to an increase in drought-precipitation variability. This study is among the first to utilize the boundaries defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission from a climatological perspective, allowing findings to reach audiences outside the scientific community and bring more effective mitigation strategies that span from the local to federal levels.

scholarly journals Index Assessment of Household Social Vulnerability to Climate Change: A Case Study of Laguna Province, Philippines

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-76
Author(s):  
Shota Kamiohkawa ◽  
Atsushi Maruyama ◽  
Inocencio Buot ◽  
Merites Buot ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Probit Regression ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Personal Traits ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
The Social ◽  
Vulnerable Households

This study empirically investigated the social vulnerability of two municipalities of Laguna Province, Philippines, on the impacts of natural disasters associated with climate change. Data were obtained from interviews with seventeen experts and surveys for thirty-seven households conducted in the two municipalities. The results of the index analysis, using the weight average method and ordered probit regression, can be summarized as follows: First, the characteristics of low educational attainment, low labor rate and lack of economic resources were crucial in determining the social vulnerability class of households. Second, the social vulnerability index is determined by multiple factors, and therefore, it should not be assessed by a single variable. Third, the weights for components of the vulnerability index were insignificantly affected by geographical features and the speciality and personal traits of the experts. This suggests that local governments should develop an information system that identifies socially vulnerable households and that this should be utilized to provide the residents with education about climate change and strategies for households to reduce their potential risks from severe climatic events.

Place-Based Assessment of Intersection of Biophysical and Social Vulnerability to Flooding in Accra, Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-68
Author(s):  
Dacosta Aboagye ◽  
Elvis Attakora-Amaniampong ◽  
Ebenezer Owusu-Sekyere
Keyword(s):  
Flood Risk ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Flood Hazard ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Flood Hazards ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Resilient Communities ◽  
Index Mapping ◽  
Hazards Of Place

The relationship between flood hazards and social vulnerability is firmly on the intellectual agenda of geographers in Ghana. In an attempt to theorize and empirically examine this relationship, scholars have commonly followed a one-sided methodological strand. In this article, a triple-helix approach that relies on the application of social vulnerability index; mapping potential flood hazard zones; and examining degree of coincidence between flood hazards and social vulnerability, is used. Situating the analysis within Hazards-of-Place Model of Vulnerability, the study identifies spatial disparities in biophysical and social vulnerability within the City. It emerged that communities in the Ashiedu Keteke sub-metro were the most vulnerable based on the hazards-of-place model. Significantly, while flood risk awareness was very high among community members, the perception of flood risk management was poor. The study argues that understanding place-based vulnerability is crucial in mitigating the effect of hazards and building resilient communities.

Increased Socio-economic Vulnerability in the Floodplains of Brahmaputra Basin, India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukrati Gautam ◽  
Apoorva Singh ◽  
Chandrika Thulaseedharan Dhanya
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Natural Phenomenon ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Lulc Changes ◽  
Economic Vulnerability ◽  
Brahmaputra Basin

<p>Floods are a recurrent natural phenomenon in the Brahmaputra basin, India’s one of the major river basin. The government employed flood mitigation strategies that have mainly been focused on structural measures that involve the construction of dams, embankments, dykes, and anti-erosion structures. Consequently, the economic investments in Flood Protection Structures (FPS) have significantly increased over time. However, despite significant FPS investments, the socio-economic losses due to floods are reportedly intensifying. In this study on coupled human flood systems, our aim is to resolve this paradox through a stepwise methodology. Firstly, land use land cover (LULC) changes are investigated before and after the completion of 74 FPS units, constructed over the past two decades. The proximity to settlement used as a proxy measure of socio-economic characteristics shows a consistent land-use growth pattern. Secondly, a socio-vulnerability index (SoVI) is developed based on the population density, distance from the river, vegetation, soil type, and LULC changes. Furthermore, SoVI maps are developed by integrating the weighted maps of the above socio-economic factors. A significant increase in the socio-economic vulnerability is observed in the floodplains of Brahmaputra, possibly due to the provision of a false sense of security. This study, hence, establishes a causal relationship between the increase in social vulnerability index and the increased FPS investments. These results are expected to help the stakeholders to identify the critical characteristics that escalate the social vulnerability in the flood plains and thereby to strategize the investments in FPS.</p>

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.

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