title: Vulnerability of Coastal Communities from Storm Surge and Flood Disasters.
abstract: Disasters in the form of coastal storms and hurricanes can be very destructive. Preparing for anticipated effects of such disasters can help reduce the public health and economic burden. Identifying vulnerable population groups can help prioritize resources for the most needed communities. This paper presents a quantitative framework for vulnerability measurement that incorporates both socioeconomic and flood inundation vulnerability. The approach is demonstrated for three coastal communities in Mississippi with census tracts being the study unit. The vulnerability results are illustrated as thematic maps for easy usage by planners and emergency responders to assist in prioritizing their actions to vulnerable populations during storm surge and flood disasters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Jackson State University, 1400 Lynch Street, Jackson, MS 39217, USA. jejal.r.bathi@jsums.edu.
authors.forename: Jejal Reddy
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bathi
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Jackson State University, 1400 Lynch Street, Jackson, MS 39217, USA. himangshu.s.das@jsums.edu.
authors.forename: Himangshu S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Das
mesh_terms: D057231:Climate Change; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D004190:Disasters; D055868:Floods; D006801:Humans; D008922:Mississippi; D011634:Public Health; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D035862:Vulnerable Populations; D014872:Water Movements
keywords: climate change; coastal communities; flood; storm surge; vulnerability