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Social vulnerability to floods: Review of case studies and implications for measurement
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Social vulnerability to floods: Review of case studies and implications for measurement

Samuel Rufat, Eric Tate, Christopher Burton and Abu Sayeed Maroof
International journal of disaster risk reduction, Vol.14, pp.470-486
12/2015
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.09.013
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.09.013View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

A leading challenge in measuring social vulnerability to hazards is for output metrics to better reflect the context in which vulnerability occurs. Through a meta-analysis of 67 flood disaster case studies (1997–2013), this paper profiles the leading drivers of social vulnerability to floods. The results identify demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, and health as the leading empirical drivers of social vulnerability to damaging flood events. However, risk perception and coping capacity also featured prominently in the case studies, yet these factors tend to be poorly reflected in many social vulnerability indicators. The influence of social vulnerability drivers varied considerably by disaster stage and national setting, highlighting the importance of context in understanding social vulnerability precursors, processes, and outcomes. To help tailor quantitative indicators of social vulnerability to flood contexts, the article concludes with recommendations concerning temporal context, measurability, and indicator interrelationships.
Geography Humanities and Social Sciences

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