Coastal flood impacts are increasing in severity with the rising sea levels, causing damage to ecological and human systems. Climate-hazards may also result in cascading impacts, where an initial disaster sets off a chain of events that extends beyond the initial spatiotemporal point of impact. Coastal flood events may result in consecutive disasters in which the initial flood event results in a secondary technological disaster, prompting disruptions to socio-economic systems and resulting in a public health crisis. Flood events that trigger technological emergencies through the inundation and dispersion of hazardous materials are known as Natech disasters. However, current research on the cascading impacts of Natech events is limited. Hampton Roads, Virginia, is experiencing an accelerated rate of sea level rise and a proportionally higher risk of storm surge, potentially leading to a greater risk of Natech disasters. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of Natech events on surrounding communities in Hampton Roads. This study uses geospatial analysis to identify the current (2021) and future (2051) threats of flood-induced Natech disaster and assess its exposure to different coastal populations and ecosystems. The present study calculated the Flood Hazard Density Index (FHDI), using a 1-mile radius around the significantly flooded facilities to determine the spatial dispersion of Natech disasters. The flood risks were determined using the 100-year flood plain and intermediate (RCP 4.5) climate scenario. The risk of a Natech disaster was identified by combining the spatial extent of flood risk with the location of Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities and National Priorities List (NPL) designated Superfund sites. The exposed environmental and social systems to Natech events were chosen through the literature gap analysis. Sociodemographic data from the American Community Survey were collected to examine its correlation with 2021 and 2051 FHDI-affected block groups. Findings reveal that block groups with higher proportions of minorities, people in poverty, and people without a vehicle experience significant exposure to a Natech disaster compared to those who are living further away from the TRI and Superfund facilities. Additionally, open water and wetland environments will also experience significant exposure to Natech events, which could indicate a loss of ecosystem services. This study suggests a need for proactive policy and programmatic interventions to minimize the potential impacts of Natech events on the surrounding communities, such as the remediation of Superfund sites and the development of hazard mitigation plans for TRI facilities. / Master of Science / Coastal flood impacts are increasing in severity with the rising sea levels, causing damage to ecological and human systems. Climate-hazards may also result in cascading impacts, where an initial disaster sets off a chain of events that extends beyond the initial spatial origin of impact, prolonging the effects of the initial disaster. Coastal flood events may result in consecutive disasters, where an initial flood event results in a secondary technological disaster, prompting disruptions to socio-economic systems and resulting in a public health crisis. Flood events that trigger technological emergencies causing the inundation and dispersion of hazardous materials are known as Natech disasters. However, current research on the cascading impacts of Natech events is limited. Hampton Roads, Virginia, is experiencing accelerated sea level rise and a proportionally higher risk of storm surge, potentially leading to a greater risk of Natech disasters. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of Natech events on surrounding communities in Hampton Roads. This study uses geospatial analysis to identify the current (2021) and future (2051) threats of flood-induced Natech disaster and assess its exposure to different coastal populations and ecosystems. The present study used a 1-mile radius around the significantly flooded facilities to determine the spatial dispersion of Natech diasters. The flood risks were determined using the 1 in 100 annual flood risk and an intermediate climate projection. The risk of a Natech disaster was identified by combining the spatial extent of flood risk with the location of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) regulated Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities and National Priorities List (NPL) designated Superfund sites. The most susceptible social, economic, and environmental subsystems to Natech events were identified using a literature gap analysis. Sociodemographic data were collected from the American Community Survey to examine its relationship to the 2021 and 2051 Natech affected census block groups. Findings reveal that block groups with higher proportions of minorities, people in poverty, and people without a vehicle experience significant exposure to a Natech disaster compared to those who are living further away from the TRI and Superfund facilities. Additionally, open water and wetland environments will also experience significant exposure to Natech events, which may indicate a loss of ecosystem services. This study suggests a need for proactive policy and programmatic interventions to minimize the potential impacts of Natech events on the surrounding communities, such as the remediation of Superfund sites and the development of hazard mitigation plans for TRI facilities.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/110374 |
| Date | 31 May 2022 |
| Creators | Crawford, Margaret Calyer |
| Contributors | Geography, Bukvic, Anamaria, Rijal, Santosh, Gohlke, Julia M. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Coverage | Virginia, United States |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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