Journal article
Assessing vulnerability to natural hazards: Impact-based method and application to drought in Washington state
MM Fontaine, AC Steinemann
Natural Hazards Review | American Society of Civil Engineers | Published : 2009
Abstract
This article presents a technique for performing vulnerability assessments, using measures of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Historically, vulnerability assessments have focused on analyzing the hazard itself, absent information on its causes and mitigations. The vulnerability assessment method (VAM), presented herein, acquires data and information from affected stakeholders to assess not only the hazard, but also the causes of vulnerability, potential for adaptation, previous impacts, and ways to mitigate future impacts. We apply the VAM to a case study of Washington State, assessing drought vulnerability across 34 subsectors. Results indicate highest vulnerability for drylan..
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Awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Awarded by Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO) under NOAA
Awarded by National Science Foundation
Awarded by Washington Dept. of Ecology and Washington Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development
Funding Acknowledgements
The writers thank Doug McChesney, Loveday Conquest, and Sara Curran for their valuable expertise and contributions to this study. The writers also thank the reviewers of this article for their important and helpful comments. This research received support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under Grant No. NA06OAR4310075; the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO) under NOAA Cooperative Agreement No. NA17RJ1232, Contribution No. 1626; the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CMS 9874391; and from the Washington Dept. of Ecology and Washington Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development through Contract No. 0511100008. Any opinions, findings, or conclusions are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the agencies that provided support.