| Social vulnerability to disasters is the differential inability to cope with disasters based on an individual or group's social characteristics, such as socioeconomic status, age, disability, language, and so on. This study examines two key questions regarding vulnerability: to what extent does the conventional wisdom hold true that poorer people suffer greater relative damages from storms, and to what extent do other variables influence damages? Further, this study explores how data on coping ability can be used to mitigate damages from disasters, both existing threats and those associated with potential global environmental charge. In addition, this study examines coping ability in light of the larger “social approaches to hazards” project by exploring the usefulness of various existing hazards models in a vulnerability context.; To get an area-wide picture of vulnerability, I analyzed and mapped the physical exposure and social vulnerability of Revere, Massachusetts using FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps and a factor analysis of U.S. census data. I then conducted a detailed phone survey of residents of the Revere floodplain. The interview included a series of questions to determine residents' sociodemographic characteristics, their economic and other damages experienced in past flooding events, and their perceptions of future hazards. As the conventional wisdom on vulnerability to hazards predicts, lower-income floodplain residents of this North Shore city suffer greater relative economic damages from flooding. Surprisingly, though, the picture of absolute damages was more complex than expected, decreasing with income after an initial peak. Other factors, including employment status, age, and roots in the city enrich this picture of the differential ability to cope with coastal flooding events. |
