Abstract

Geospatial Mapping for Disaster Vulnerability Analysis
Track: Disaster and Emergency Management
Authors: Bennetta Robinson

Rural communities suffer from a variety of natural disasters. It is important to accentuate the degree of vulnerability to these events by assessing the characteristics of different disasters, their probability of occurrence, the predicted impacts, and ways to mitigate such impacts. This paper discusses the use of a vulnerability analysis at both the micro and macro level. The results of the analysis are translated into a vulnerability map used by emergency management agencies during planning and response.

Emphasis is placed not only on the use of geospatial analysis to model the risk and probability of disaster occurrences but also existing conditions that make individual property, communities, or the county as a whole more vulnerable to disasters. Using the ESRI produced ArcGIS suite, the information presented in this paper illustrates the ability of the software to paint a common operating picture (COP) that aids in disaster planning, recovery, and mitigation efforts.