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Community vulnerability to hazards: introducing local expert knowledge into the equation

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Abstract

Assessments of social vulnerability have gained importance over the years, evolving from their initial emphasis on environmental factors surrounding natural disasters to a conceptual framework in which human agency plays a more decisive role. Up to know, most approaches to vulnerability were developed using an equally weighted approach in which each component contributes the same to vulnerability. To improve and enrich the information needed by authorities and stakeholders, we believe that a participatory approach would enhance our current understanding of vulnerability. Therefore, as an alternative to equally weighted approaches we propose and test the introduction of an expert panel to provide deeper insights into the relative contribution of vulnerability drivers. Our methodology has been applied to Aragón (Spain) at a municipality scale. The core of the analysis is a principal component analysis (PCA) applied to a set of socioeconomic and demographic variables. PCA allows extracting the main drivers of vulnerability in the region. Then, we introduce the role of a local expert panel by means of an analytical hierarchical process. Results are mapped and analyzed to (1) outline the spatial distribution of Community Vulnerability Index (CoVI), (2) determine the extent and location of vulnerable areas and (3) identify their main drivers. Overall, the introduction of the panel improves the ability of the method to differentiate strong (low CoVI) and weak (high CoVI) positions, compared to the original equally weighted approach.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded jointly from a predoctoral Fulbright-Iberdrola grant and the research groups GEOFOREST and GEOT, from the University of Zaragoza. We would like to express our most sincere gratitude to the members of the panel of experts and colleagues who have contributed and helped to conduct this research. We also thank their host institutions which include, but are not limited to, University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR), University of Alicante (UA), Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro (CHE), Instituto Geográfico de Aragón (IGEAR), Instituto Aragonés de Estadística (IAEST) and Colegio de Geógrafos de España. Additionally, we would like to thank MELOGIC project for their invitation to join them in one of their working sessions. We would also like to thank and acknowledge the help and contribution of Susan L. Cutter from the University of South Carolina, who has provided valuable advice for improving this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Yago Martín

  2. GEOFOREST Group, IUCA, Department of Geography and Land Management, University of Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009, Saragossa, Spain

    Marcos Rodrigues Mimbrero

  3. GEOT Group, IUCA, Department of Geography and Land Management, University of Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009, Saragossa, Spain

    María Zúñiga-Antón

Authors
  1. Yago Martín
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  2. Marcos Rodrigues Mimbrero
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  3. María Zúñiga-Antón
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Correspondence to Yago Martín.

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Martín, Y., Rodrigues Mimbrero, M. & Zúñiga-Antón, M. Community vulnerability to hazards: introducing local expert knowledge into the equation. Nat Hazards 89, 367–386 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-017-2969-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-017-2969-1

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