Natural disasters have become more severe and frequent than previous assessments with global warming. The increasing risk of natural disasters presents different groups of populations with diverse vulnerabilities, particularly those underrepresented social groups which need specific support before, during, and after extreme disasters. Hence, it is highly desired to examine vulnerability quantitatively and qualitatively across different social groups in risk to natural disasters. This dissertation study aims to investigate the measure of social vulnerability to two types of climate change-related natural disasters: sea-level-rise floodings and wildfires. In the study of sea-level-rise floodings, high-risk flooding areas are first identified for a coastal city. Then, we measure social vulnerability index (SVI) using a new SVI metric to identify vulnerable social groups which should be paid more attention for coastal flooding disaster mitigation. Compared to existing SVI methods, the new SVI leverages principal component analysis and analytic hierarchy process to achieve a better social vulnerability analysis. In the study of wildfires, we focus on the understanding of minority vulnerabilities and their disparities to wildfires over time and space. Minority vulnerabilities are analyzed with spatial clustering methods including Local Moran’s I and Getis-Ord Gi*. The vulnerability disparity is measured based on a reference point from which the quantity separates a minority group on a particular place. Both location quotient and location amplitude index are used to quantitively measure the vulnerability disparity among different minorities. Lastly, in addition to the “direct” impact of disasters on vulnerable population, this dissertation study also conducts vulnerability analysis to failed infrastructure (e.g., power systems) due to disasters, i.e., the “indirect” impact of disasters on different social groups. Recently, scheduled power outages known as Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) are becoming increasingly common to mitigate threats of wildfires to power systems. However, current PSPS decision making processes do not consider the unequal distribution of various social groups, particularly those who are more vulnerable to the power outage. This study investigates the measure of social vulnerability in high-risk fire areas to PSPS, which will help decision makers to better determine the efficiency of a PSPS event for wildfire mitigation.

Vid inträffandet av naturolyckor och katastrofer påverkas människor i olika omfattning, inte bara beroende på deras bostads läge utan även utifrån deras sociala förhållanden och förutsättningar. I denna studie genomförs en riskanalys samt utvecklas en metod för beräkning av ett områdes sociala sårbarhet genom ett index. Studiens geografiska avgränsning är en sträcka av Klarälven i Värmland och baseras på data framställt av Skogsstyrelsen, Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap (MSB), Lantmäteriet och Statistiska centralbyrån (SCB).   I studien beräknades ett socialt sårbarhetsindex genom att kombinera flera lager av SCB:s statistiska data i ett geodatalager med kvadratiska polygoner. Det sociala sårbarhetsindexet kombinerades sedan med resultatet från en flerfaroanalys (multi-hazard analysis) med flera översvämningsscenarion samt områden känsliga för jordskred och ras. Flerfaroanalysen utfördes genom en sammanställning av MSB:s kartering av potentiella översvämningsscenarion och Skogsstyrelsens kartering av områden som kan drabbas av ras eller jordskred. Det sociala sårbarhetsindexet och flerfaroanalysen karterades och överlagrades för att identifiera särskilt sårbara områden.   Med hjälp av det sociala sårbarhetsindexet identifieras en högre social sårbarhet i mer tätbebyggda områden. Indexet påvisar även en högre social sårbarhet i den södra halvan av studieområdet. I flerfaroanalysen ses naturolyckorna variera i omfattning över studieområdet. I den norra delen är risken för jordskred och ras större än i den södra delen som nästan enbart drabbas av översvämningar. Resultaten från riskanalysen visar en “medel-risk” längs en längre sträcka av Klarälven och ökad risk i tätbebyggda områden. För förbättring av det sociala sårbarhetsindexet behövs mer detaljerade data över mindre områden för att öka indexets tillförlitlighet och användningsområden. / When natural phenomena and disasters occur, people are affected to varying degrees, not only depending on the location of their homes, but also on the basis of their social background. In this study, a multi-hazard risk analysis and a method for estimating an area’s social vulnerability through an index were developed. The study was carried out along River Klarälven in Värmland and was based on data produced by the Swedish forest agency, The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), The Swedish Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authority and Statistics Sweden (SCB).   The study presents a social vulnerability index by combining several layers of SCB's statistical data, in a geodata layer with square polygons. The social vulnerability index was combined with a multi-hazard analysis considering several flood scenarios and landslide susceptibility. The multi-hazard analysis was performed through a compilation of MSB's mapping of potential flood scenarios and the Swedish forest agency’s mapping of areas that may be affected by landslides. The social vulnerability index and the results from the multi-hazard analysis were mapped and combined in order to identify areas with substantial risk.    The social vulnerability index indicates a higher social vulnerability in more densely populated areas. The index also shows a slightly higher social vulnerability in the southern half of the study area. The results from the multi-hazard analysis, the spatial distribution of natural hazards varied. The northern part of the study area has a greater susceptibility to landslides than the southern part, which is almost exclusively are induced by floods and extreme flows. The result of the risk analysis shows a “medium risk” along the largest studied part of the River Klarälven and a slightly increased risk in densely populated areas. For future improvements in the development of the social vulnerability index, more data is needed with a higher spatial resolution to increase the index's reliability and areas of use.

Social factors moderate the impacts of natural hazards, which means that households are affected differently when exposed to the same hazard. This differential impact of hazards can be explained by the concept of social vulnerability, which is commonly assessed to inform disaster preparedness and response action. Most of these assessments, however, focus their analyses on large administrative units and, consequently, neglect the heterogeneity of households within these units. This thesis leverages data from Malawi’s social registry (the UBR) to construct a Household Social Vulnerability Index for Nsanje – one of the most disaster-prone districts in Malawi. In Nsanje, geocoded socio-economic data was collected using a census-sweep approach with the goal of registering 100% of the district’s residents. From this dataset, indicators are deductively selected and analyzed using Principal Component Analysis to produce a social vulnerability score for each household. These index scores are mapped at a spatial resolution of 0,01°. By repurposing a social registry to inform a new set of actors, including humanitarian and disaster risk management practitioners, the thesis highlights the considerable scope for collaboration within the realm of data and information by actors and policy fields that traditionally largely have operated in isolation from one another.

<p>Рањивост од&nbsp; природних хазарда представља атрактивну тему<br />данашњице, која произилази из значаја који има за проблематику<br />природних непогода. Рањивост представља обавезну компоненту<br />сваке природне непогоде, тачније схвата се као &bdquo;контролна<br />полуга&ldquo; за смањење ризика од природних непогода. Социјална<br />рањивост од природних хазарда треба да укаже и опише ко или<br />шта је угрожено деловањем природног хазарда и у којој мери, као<br />и на обим и озбиљност последица које из потенцијалне колизије<br />могу произаћи. Из тог разлога, јавила се&nbsp; потреба да се социјална<br />рањивост измери, премери или процени у тежњи да се теоријске<br />поставке боље разумеју и добију практичну примену. Тај<br />комплексан приступ треба да пружи информације о нивоима<br />рањивости, као и отпорности одређених елемената у простору,&nbsp; а<br />потом и да омогући идентификацију покретачких фактора који<br />утичу на формирање и развој појаве социјалне рањивости. С<br />обзиром да је процена социјалне рањивости базирана на<br />званичним статистичким подацима, који дају уопштену, стерилну<br />слику стварности, за&nbsp; њено употпуњавање и хуманизацију<br />неопходно је истраживање перцепције, знања, ставова и искуства<br />становништва са природним хазардима и природним непогодама.<br />Најбољи приступ за испуњење тог циља је анкетно истраживање<br />које треба да омогући увид у поменуте карактеристике код<br />појединца, а потом обрадом добијених података и њиховим<br />уопштавањем стиче се потпуна слика о друштву и његовом<br />односу према природним хазардима и спремност за природне<br />непогоде.</p> / <p>Ranjivost od&nbsp; prirodnih hazarda predstavlja atraktivnu temu<br />današnjice, koja proizilazi iz značaja koji ima za problematiku<br />prirodnih nepogoda. Ranjivost predstavlja obaveznu komponentu<br />svake prirodne nepogode, tačnije shvata se kao &bdquo;kontrolna<br />poluga&ldquo; za smanjenje rizika od prirodnih nepogoda. Socijalna<br />ranjivost od prirodnih hazarda treba da ukaže i opiše ko ili<br />šta je ugroženo delovanjem prirodnog hazarda i u kojoj meri, kao<br />i na obim i ozbiljnost posledica koje iz potencijalne kolizije<br />mogu proizaći. Iz tog razloga, javila se&nbsp; potreba da se socijalna<br />ranjivost izmeri, premeri ili proceni u težnji da se teorijske<br />postavke bolje razumeju i dobiju praktičnu primenu. Taj<br />kompleksan pristup treba da pruži informacije o nivoima<br />ranjivosti, kao i otpornosti određenih elemenata u prostoru,&nbsp; a<br />potom i da omogući identifikaciju pokretačkih faktora koji<br />utiču na formiranje i razvoj pojave socijalne ranjivosti. S<br />obzirom da je procena socijalne ranjivosti bazirana na<br />zvaničnim statističkim podacima, koji daju uopštenu, sterilnu<br />sliku stvarnosti, za&nbsp; njeno upotpunjavanje i humanizaciju<br />neophodno je istraživanje percepcije, znanja, stavova i iskustva<br />stanovništva sa prirodnim hazardima i prirodnim nepogodama.<br />Najbolji pristup za ispunjenje tog cilja je anketno istraživanje<br />koje treba da omogući uvid u pomenute karakteristike kod<br />pojedinca, a potom obradom dobijenih podataka i njihovim<br />uopštavanjem stiče se potpuna slika o društvu i njegovom<br />odnosu prema prirodnim hazardima i spremnost za prirodne<br />nepogode.</p> / <p>Today,&nbsp; vulnerability&nbsp; to natural hazards is one of the most attractive topic, which stems from its importance for the research field of natural disasters. Vulnerability is a mandatory component of any natural disasters, more precisely understood as the &quot;control lever&quot; to reduce the natural disasters risk. Social vulnerability should point to and describe who or what is at risk from natural hazards and the extent and severity of the consequences of potential collisions. For this reason, there is a need to&nbsp; measure or estimate social vulnerability, which will enable theoretical assumptions to be better understood and receive practical application. This complex approach should provide information on the levels of vulnerability, as well as the resistance of certain elements in space,&nbsp; and then to allow the identification of the driving factors that influence the formation and development of the social vulnerability phenomena. Social vulnerability assessment is based on official statistics, which provide a general, sterile picture of reality, but its humanization is necessary through exploring of perceptions, knowledge, awareness and experiences of the society to natural hazards and natural disasters. The best approach for achieving that goal is the survey that should provide insight into the mentioned characteristics of the individual, and then processing the data and their generalization gets the full picture of the society and its relation to natural hazards and natural disasters preparedness.</p>