Objective: The primary goal of this research is to identify social vulnerability and resilience to earthquake hazards within the Capital Regional District (CRD) and to generate recommendations for how the provincial health system and various local and regional government agencies can support the continued enhancement of disaster-resilient communities.
Methods: Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed to evaluate social vulnerability and resilience. Quantitatively, the methodology developed by Cutter et al., was replicated to create a Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI). These data were supported by qualitative data obtained from focus group interviews in three communities in the CRD. Together, this mixed methods approach provided additional insights into the dimensions of social vulnerability, and resilience within the CRD.
Results. From the SoVI, twenty-five census tracts (CTs) within the CRD exhibited ‘high social vulnerability’. These highly vulnerable CTs were most likely to be in more densely populated areas, whether they were in inner city neighbourhoods or suburbs of the City. The qualitative results suggest that a large scale seismic hazard will present substantial challenges for the CRD. The smaller, rural and remote communities of Sooke and Port Renfrew appeared to be more interested in emergency preparation than those in the City of Victoria, if judged by their participation rates.
Conclusion. The information collected from research participants and the generation of the SoVI complements existing hazard maps and local knowledge well. Both have their place as tools for enhancing understanding of risk-assessment for the area. / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/3771 |
| Date | 22 December 2011 |
| Creators | Stoner, Sarah |
| Contributors | Cloutier-Fisher, Denise S. |
| Source Sets | University of Victoria |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Available to the World Wide Web |
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