Flood exposure and social vulnerability in the United States

This study explores the geography of flood exposure and social vulnerability in the conterminous United States based on spatial analysis of fluvial and pluvial flood extent, land cover, and social vulnerability. This paper maps hotspots where high flood exposure and high social vulnerability converge.

The results identify dominant indicators of social vulnerability within these places and determine priority locations where interventions can mitigate both physical and social aspects of flood vulnerability. Mobile homes and racial minorities were the most overrepresented in hotspots and warrant greater attention in both flood mitigation and the development of social vulnerability indicators. Most current measures of social vulnerability are generalized, meaning similar sets of indicators tend to be applied across a wide range of hazards, geographies, and disaster phases.