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Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Weather-Related Disasters: The Role of Exposure and Awareness

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Hazards and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 10595

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Katerina Papagiannaki

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Guest Editor

Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Thissio 11810, Greece
Interests: My major research interests lie in the area of weather-related hazards and societal impacts of climate and weather-related phenomena. Currently, my work involves societal impact assessment and statistical modeling, the development and analysis of databases of high-impact weather events and associated societal impacts and human fatalities in Greece and the Mediterranean area, and the design and analysis of behavioral surveys, outreach activities for the website www.meteo.gr

Dr. Michalis Diakakis

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Guest Editor

Department of Dynamic Tectonic and Applied Geology, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupoli Zografou, Athens, Greece
Interests: extreme events; flash flooding; flood mortality; risk perception; hydrogeomorphological disasters; landslides
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Weather-related natural hazards such as floods, storms, landslides, and wildfires can lead to disasters with significant human and economic losses depending on the hazard magnitude, as well as on social and human vulnerability, human behavior, and activities that increase exposure by disregarding local hazardous conditions. The recording, analysis, and assessment of the various impacts in relation to these factors allow for a deeper understanding of the preparedness and resilience processes, leading potentially to improvements in emergency response.

Building on the on-going research on the socio-economic impacts of natural disasters and the factors that affect their occurrence and magnitude, this Special Issue focuses on the role of exposure, namely, of behavioral, preparedness, and demographic factors, as well as on awareness-raising approaches, including early warning and social networking.

Therefore, we are interested in papers that address:

Qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches in assessing the direct socio-economic impacts of weather-related disasters, such as human fatalities, property damages, psycho-social effects, economic losses, and transportation;
The relationship between the impact magnitude and exposure factors (e.g., socio-demographics, urbanization, buildings and infrastructure sensitivity);
The role and effect of awareness strategies, early warning approaches, and social networking on communities’ preparedness and emergency response to weather-related hazards;
Perception of risk and risk mitigation initiatives associated with weather-related hazards.

This Special Issue is expected to contribute to the fields of methodological recording and assessment of socio-economic impacts of weather-related disasters, and to the study of the exposure and awareness effects. Within this aim, interdisciplinary original research articles highlighting new ideas, review articles, study approaches, and innovations are welcomed

Dr. Katerina Papagiannaki
Dr. Michalis Diakakis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

socio-economic impact
weather-related disasters
exposure
awareness
community response

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 736 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Amy E Peden, David Heslop and Richard C Franklin

Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 813; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010813 - 02 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2582

Abstract

Extreme weather events can cause significant human, economic and infrastructure losses. Within a changing climate, heatwaves, droughts, and floods are becoming more frequent and severe. Unfortunately, those who are most vulnerable are often disproportionately impacted. In this study, we examined the epidemiology of weather-related fatalities due to excessive heat (International Classification of Diseases [ICD]-10 codes X30); excessive cold (X31); storm and flood (X37; X38); and other causes (X32, X33, X39) in Australia between 2006–2019. There were 682 deaths due directly to weather-related events (41% excessive cold; 37% excessive heat; 15% storms and floods). The mean age of a weather-related victim in Australia was 60.8 years (SD = 24.1), with people aged 65+ years 12.8 times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.23–17.6) more likely to die due to a weather-related event. As the planet warms our study identifies declining excessive cold-related deaths, while other types of weather events remain steady or increase. In the context of climate change we must protect those most at risk; children and adolescents due to storms and floods, those with co-morbidities (particularly circulatory system disorders) and the elderly. Special attention should be paid to preventing excessive heat-related death among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and international visitors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Weather-Related Disasters: The Role of Exposure and Awareness)

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15 pages, 4296 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Roof Collapse Cases Caused by Snow Loads in Russia (2001–2021)

by Valentina Lobkina

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13580; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413580 - 08 Dec 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2518

Abstract

Cases of building decay and structural damage caused by the impact of snow loads are registered every year throughout the world. Such destruction not only results in property loss, but also leads to human losses. A database on 266 cases of roof collapse caused by snow loads in Russia for the period from 2001 to 2021 was collated for this study. The data were analyzed by date and place of collapse, building data, and number of victims. The analysis showed that civilian buildings are the most vulnerable, comprising 78% of the total number of collapses, followed by industrial buildings with 15% and agricultural buildings with only 7%. The relationships between roof shape, roofing material, number of floors, and type of collapsed building were determined. The data processing results showed that low-rise residential buildings (one to two floors) with a gable roof covered with fiber cement should be considered the most vulnerable. A linear relationship was revealed between a collapse area of more than 150 m² and the cumulative number of collapse cases. The obtained results have practical application for rating building vulnerability to natural hazards and assessing the risk of emergencies associated with snow loads. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Weather-Related Disasters: The Role of Exposure and Awareness)

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13 pages, 1957 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Cyclone Yaas 2021 Aggravated by COVID-19 Pandemic in the Southwest Coastal Zone of Bangladesh

by Rizwana Subhani, Shahab E. Saqib, Md. Anishur Rahman, Mokbul Morshed Ahmad and Siriporn Pradit

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13324; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313324 - 01 Dec 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2764

Abstract

The severe tropical Cyclone Yaas hit on 26 May 2021 in 16 coastal districts of Bangladesh and affected 1.30 million people. Moreover, the study areas are highly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has increased the vulnerability of the people. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess the impact of cyclone Yass aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic in the southwest coastal zone of Bangladesh. COVID-19-aggregated Cyclone Yaas impact data at the household level were collected from Kalapara Upozilla of Potuakhali district, the area most affected by Cyclone Yaas. A total of 196 households were surveyed, and a quantitative approach was applied to analyse the data. The results show that households in the study area were severely affected by Cyclone Yaas in terms of income, housing, food consumption patterns, and water sanitation and hygiene. The outcome also revealed that the affected households received relief from the government, international/non-government organizations, donor agencies, as well as adopted coping strategies such as obtaining credit, selling assets, reducing daily meal intake, and tapping into savings. These strategies may be useful for a temporary recovery but not for the long term. The results of the study will help policymakers to reform policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Weather-Related Disasters: The Role of Exposure and Awareness)

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15 pages, 2162 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characteristics of Indoor Flood Fatalities: Evidence from Greece

by Michalis Diakakis and Katerina Papagiannaki

Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8612; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158612 - 02 Aug 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1659

Abstract

Despite the important advances in flood forecasting and protection, floods remain one of the most lethal types of natural hazards. Previous works have explored several factors influencing the risks of flooding to human life and health. However, there is limited research and understanding on indoor flood fatalities and the circumstances under which they occur. This study explores victim-, building-, and situation-related characteristics in order to provide a better understanding of the conditions that lead to flood-related indoor deaths, exploiting a fatality database developed for Greece (1960–2020). The correlation analysis showed that indoor victims, compared with outdoor ones, tend to be older individuals, with high percentages of disabilities. A significant statistical association of the building material, roof type, and distance from the river with the building collapse was also found. The profile of the buildings in which flood fatality occurred was further compared with that of neighboring non-fatal buildings that were inhabited during the flood events. The statistical results indicated that the buildings with a fatality occurrence are mostly single-storey structures, made from masonry as the main building material. The findings have practical implications in risk communication and mitigation in terms of identifying the specific populations, circumstances, settings, and mechanisms that lead to dangerous indoor situations during flooding events. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Weather-Related Disasters: The Role of Exposure and Awareness)

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