Evaluating vulnerability to rapid-onset hazards: A factor analytical approach across spatial scales.

摘要

Studying hazards vulnerability can help to reduce the impacts of hazards on society by assessing the potential for loss of property or life within a given spatial domain. Information from these assessments can help policymakers develop and implement appropriate hazard mitigation policies. To this end, this study focused on developing a reproducible vulnerability assessment methodology capable of identifying the most vulnerable areas across varying spatial scales. In order to capture the complexity of vulnerability, this study utilized a factor analytical approach within an integrative framework, which establishes vulnerability according to three interdependent components: (1) rapid-onset hazardousness, (2) social context, and (3) infrastructure capability. To examine the utility of the proposed methodology, secondary objectives included assessing the consistency, spatial distribution, and association of the model outputs at two distinct spatial scales: (1) an aggregated county-level scale and (2) a disaggregated census-tract scale.