Flood Vulnerability Analysis in Urban Context: A Socioeconomic Sub-Indicators Overview

"What influences how well householders living in previously flooded communities feel they are protected or could recover from future flooding?: Results of a survey"

In England, the Environment Agency (EA) estimates that over 3 million properties in England are at risk of surface water flooding. Heavy and prolonged rainfall that drives surface water flooding is projected to increase in the future due to climate change. This paper presents a quantitative secondary analysis of a cross-sectional household flood survey in a disadvantaged city in England heavily impacted by surface water flooding in 2007 and at severe risk of flooding in the future. The aim of this study was to examine how previous experience of flooding, demographic factors, and behaviours impact on feelings of protection against flooding and perceived ability to recover from flooding. Survey data were collected from residents in Hull in northern England in 2018, in areas impacted by major floods in 2007 when over 8,600 households were flooded. Valid responses were received from 453 households, of whom 37.3% were flooded or flooding damaged their house (n = 169), 14.6% had been disrupted by flooding (n = 66), 9.3% had been exposed to flooding (n = 42) and 176 (38.9%) had not experienced flooding. Over 22% felt they had very low protection against flooding, and over 25% would make a very slow recovery if they were flooded. Associations were found between gender and both low levels of protection against flooding. Females were less likely to feel confident in their recovery from flooding than males (OR 0.551). The findings support a need to focus on women's perceptions of flood vulnerability and capacity to cope and recover from flooding in flood and disaster management policy and practice, including providing effective support before, during and after flooding.

A synergistic approach towards understanding flood risks over coastal multi-hazard environments: Appraisal of bivariate flood risk mapping through flood hazard, and socio-economic-cum-physical vulnerability dimensions

The dynamics of flood risk over Coastal Multi-hazard Catchments (CMC) exhibit bizarre characteristics. In these regions, flood hazards are governed by a complex interaction of multiple flood-inducing sources; varying in magnitudes, origin, and direction of propagation. Our conventional understanding of vulnerability may be obscure within these catchments. This can be attributable to the heterogeneous nature of various physical and socio-economic entities. The study proposes a comprehensive framework to quantify bivariate flood risks over a severely flood-prone region in India. The study considers flood hazards, along with vulnerabilities transpiring from (a) physical, (b) socio-economic, and (c) composite (combination of both) groups of indicators. To overcome data scarcity prevalent in CMCs, CHIRPS v2.0, a high-resolution Satellite Precipitation Product, along with other ancillary datasets, are forced to 1D2D coupled MIKE+ hydrodynamic model to simulate flood hazards. A set of 24 indicators are considered within the Shannon Entropy-cum-TOPSIS framework to derive three types of vulnerability. The marginal and compound contributions of hazard and each vulnerability type are represented through a novel concept of bivariate flood risk classifier at the village scale. We notice high and very-high flood hazards over the coastline and floodplains. An equitable influence of socio-economic vulnerability and hazards is reflected, as they cover 41 % of villages together under varied degrees of flood risks. The impacts of hazards are underscored in the presence of physical vulnerability, as the latter contributes to risks in about 72 % of villages. Composite vulnerability prevails its impact over 53 % of villages, dominating its influence on flood risks over hazards. The study delivers vital information to the global flood management community on the prudent selection of indicators, as their influence is markedly noticed on the overall flood risks. The diversified characteristics of flood risk inspire a rationalized implementation of structural and non-structural options in resource-constrained conditions.

Determining the effect of urbanization on flood hazard zones in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, using flood hazard index and multi-criteria decision analysis

Floods are the most destructive natural hazard throughout the world. Identifying flood hazard zones is the first step in flood risk management. Land use changes, especially urbanization, is the key factor in the destructiveness of flood events and change in flood risk. Therefore, determining the effect of urbanization on the changes in flood hazard zones presents a valuable data for effective flood risk management and urban development planning. In this context, the aim of this study is to reveal the effect of urbanization on flood hazard zones in Kahramanmaras city. In this study, an index-based approach was used to identify the flood hazard zones. To calculate a flood hazard index, the susceptibility map was multiplied by the land use map by using the raster calculator tool in the ArcGIS. The susceptibility map was generated by combining the maps of flow accumulation, distance to stream, slope, and elevation parameters based on parameter weights obtained from the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. Two land use maps for the years 1990 and 2018 were separately overlaid with the susceptibility map to reveal the effects of urbanization on flood hazard zones. According to the results, it was found that very low, low, and moderate hazard zones decreased by 0.01%, 0.09%, and 1.2%, respectively whereas the high and very high zones increased by 3.30% and 0.58%, respectively due to urbanization. It was also determined that the main reason for the increase in the high zone was the expansion of urban areas into agricultural areas in the study area.

Impact of Canal Encroachment on Flood and Economic Vulnerability in Northern Bangladesh

River and canal encroachments have become a common problem in Bangladesh. The prevalence of river and canal encroachments has a direct impact on population growth. However, the impacted population appears to be unaware of its negative consequences. To this end, we aimed to investigate the past and present canal scenarios with a focus on canal encroachment as the influencing factor in Ulipur upazila (highly vulnerable) of northern Bangladesh. To examine the impact of this encroachment, the Flood Vulnerability Index (FVI), Adaptive Capacity Index (ACI) and Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI) were used. Our results showed signs of narrowing of the canal structure of Ulipur upazila in 1982 and 1992, while satellite images from 2002 and 2012 showed the presence of encroachment in the middle and lower parts of the canal. The FVI value for Hatia union was 0.703, indicating that this area was highly vulnerable to flooding. According to the ACI, the Pandul union has a high capacity to cope with flood impact, while the Hatia union has less capacity to cope with flood impact. Conversely, Hatia’s union EVI value was 72.8, denoting a high economic vulnerability. Canal encroachments will have negative consequences for these impacted unions. It is critical to reduce the flooding and economic vulnerabilities associated with canal encroachments. It is found that canal excavation is very important for controlling flood water and reducing the damage caused by flooding.

Risks to the Health of Russian Population from Floods and Droughts in 2010‒2020: A Scoping Review

Climate change and natural disasters caused by hydrological, meteorological, and climatic causes have a significant and increasing direct and indirect impact on human health, leading to increased mortality and morbidity. Russia is a country that suffers from frequent climatic and weather disasters. This is mainly due to its vast territory, complex geographical and ecological environment, and widely varying climatic conditions. This review provides information on climatological and hydrological extremes in Russia in 2010–2020, floods and droughts, and their impact on the health and well-being of the country’s population. A literature search was conducted using electronic databases Web of Science, Pubmed, Science Direct, Scopus, and e-Library, focusing on peer-reviewed journal articles published in English and in Russian from 2010 to 2021. Four conceptual categories were used: “floods”, “droughts”, “human health”, and “Russia”. It is concluded that while most hazardous weather events cannot be completely avoided, many health impacts can potentially be prevented. The recommended measures include early warning systems and public health preparedness and response measures, building climate resilient health systems and other management structures.