| Summary |
North Carolina has a high frequency of hurricanes and flooding and has also experienced high population growth since 1970. The purpose of this study is to evaluate change in vulnerability to damage from storm surge flooding in coastal North Carolina. Vulnerability is assessed using as index of social characteristics that contribute to vulnerability. The spatial patterns of socially vulnerable populations throughout the twenty coastal counties are depicted using GIS. Population data are collected first at the county level to provide a general profile of each county socioeconomic make-up. Social data are also evaluated at the blockgroup level to allow as much detail in spatial variation as possible throughout the study area. The social characteristics of each blockgroup are added to surge inundation data for fast and slow moving storms to determine the overall vulnerability to damage. The populations experienced an urbanized vulnerability throughout the study area in 1990, but changed to an widespread vulnerability in 2000. These populations are most vulnerable due to housing, poverty, gender, minority, and other social characteristics. Emergency facility location data is added to a location gap needs analysis of emergency responders to vulnerable populations. Gaps were found along the coastline, as well as in the middle and northern sections of the study area. A historical vulnerability index can help emergency managers to improve planning for those populations most vulnerable to damage from storm surge flooding or any other natural disaster. |
