All partners logo heb

Felsenstein & Lichter (2014). Social and economic vulnerability of coastal communities to sea-level rise and extreme flooding

Bibliographic details:

Felsenstein, D., & Lichter, M. (2014). Social and economic vulnerability of coastal communities to sea-level rise and extreme flooding. Natural Hazards, 71(1), 463-491.

Abstract:

This paper assesses the socioeconomic consequences of extreme coastal flooding events.  Wealth and income impacts associated with different social groups in coastal communities in Israel are estimated. A range of coastal flood hazard zones based on different scenarios are identified.  These are superimposed on a composite social vulnerability index to highlight the spatial variation in the socioeconomic structure of those areas exposed to flooding.  Economic vulnerability is captured by the exposure of wealth and income.  For  the  former,  we  correlate  the  distribution  of  housing  stock  at  risk  with  the socioeconomic  characteristics  of  threatened  populations.  We also estimate the value of residential assets exposed under the different scenarios.  For the latter, we calculate the observed change in income distribution of the population under threat of inundation. We interpret the change in income distribution as an indicator of recovery potential.

Webpage