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- NH43D-0481: Mapping disability-specific flood risk using GIS-Multicriteria Decision Analysis in the coastal city of Norfolk, VA
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Board 0481‚ Hall EFG (Poster Hall)NOLA CC
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Heather Christensen, University of Virginia (First Author, Presenting Author)
Rachel Weghorst, University of Virginia
Jonathan Goodall, University of Virginia
Matthew Reidenbach, University of Virginia
Heavy rain, tides, and storm surges can cause dangerous flooding in coastal cities. People with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of flooding and often need special resources during storm events. However, current analyses of flood risk group vulnerable demographics together and do not isolate the risks to a specific population. This study assesses the drivers of flood risk in Norfolk, VA, a coastal city with quickly rising sea levels. The likelihood and severity of flooding are assessed using GIS software to create a flood “hazard” map. Flood “vulnerability”, or how intensely a population will be impacted by flooding, is assessed both generally (considering vulnerable demographics such as race, socioeconomic status, gender, etc) and specifically for the disabled population (considering disability status, age, mobility-relevant infrastructure, etc). This study shows that the risk posed to the disabled population by flooding is concentrated in different areas than shown when considering all potential factors of vulnerability together. These findings emphasize the importance of considering specific vulnerable populations when characterizing the risks posed by flooding, particularly when the analysis is intended for use in allocating emergency resources.
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