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Assessing the Relationship Between Social Vulnerability and Community Resilience to Hazards

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Abstract

This article contributes to the disaster literature by measuring and connecting two concepts that are highly related but whose relationship is rarely empirically evaluated: social vulnerability and community resilience. To do so, we measure community resilience and social vulnerability in counties across the United States and find a correlation between high levels of vulnerability and low levels of resilience, indicating that the most vulnerable counties also tend to be the least resilient. We also find regional differences in the distribution of community resilience and social vulnerability, with the West being particularly vulnerable while the Southeast is prone to low levels of resilience. By looking at both social vulnerability and community resilience, we are able to map communities’ social risks for harm from threats as well as their capacities for recovering and adapting in the aftermath of hazards. This provides a more complete portrait of the communities that might need the most assistance in emergency planning and response, as well as whether such interventions will need to be tailored toward reducing damage or finding the path to recovery.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Sociology, University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210027, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0027, USA

    Kelly Bergstrand & Brian Mayer

  2. Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health and Health Professions College of Medicine, University of Florida, 228 Buckman Drive, P.O. Box 117450, Gainesville, FL, 32611-7450, USA

    Babette Brumback

  3. Department of Biostatistics, Center for Statistical Sciences, Brown University, 121 S. Main Street, Box G-S121-7, Providence, RI, 02912, USA

    Yi Zhang

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  1. Kelly Bergstrand
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  2. Brian Mayer
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  4. Yi Zhang
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Correspondence to Brian Mayer.

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Bergstrand, K., Mayer, B., Brumback, B. et al. Assessing the Relationship Between Social Vulnerability and Community Resilience to Hazards. Soc Indic Res 122, 391–409 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0698-3

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