The impact of flooding is one of the most disastrous types of natural events to occur in the environment. Flooding is initiated by intense rainfall in a short period of time. Flooding can be detrimental to communities that do not have the resources or money to recover after such events. Building resilience to these events requires an understanding of socio-economic standings and the social vulnerability of a community.
According to "A Place-based Assessment of Flash Flood Hazard and Vulnerability in the Contiguous United States", "Vulnerability is composed of exposure, sensitivity, and response or resilience to the compound effects of both human and environmental systems".
In Kanawha County, the averages are the following
9% of the population is living in a 100-year flood plain zone
33% of the population is living in 100 + 50 flood plain zone meaning a combined floodplain zone
16% of the population is living under the poverty level
17% of the population is living under the poverty level in a flood plain zone.
Studies have discussed that climate change will increase the likelihood of flooding and other extremely rare disastrous events. With this in-store, further attention is needed for disaster risk management and planning strategies.
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