Mapping the flood risk to Socioeconomic Recovery Capacity through a multicriteria index. (10th May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rezende, Osvaldo Moura; Ribeiro da Cruz de Franco, Anna Beatriz; Beleño de Oliveira, Antonio Krishnamurti; Miranda, Francis Martins; Pitzer Jacob, Ana Caroline; Martins de Sousa, Matheus; Miguez, Marcelo Gomes
• Is Part Of: Journal of cleaner production. Volume 255(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-05-10
• Subjects: Flood vulnerability -- Flood risk -- Flood risk management -- Flood mapping -- Mathematical modeling -- Urban stormwater planning; Factory and trade waste -- Management -- Periodicals; Manufactures -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Déchets industriels -- Gestion -- Périodiques; Usines -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; 628.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120251
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-6526

Abstract

Abstract: Flood risk is generally composed of two parts: the probability of happening a hazardous event and its consequences. The first part is the source of risk and it is mainly given by the flooding magnitudes, although flow velocities and flooding permanence may play important roles. The second one reflects the vulnerability of the socioeconomic system exposed to flooding. Three aspects can represent vulnerability: exposure, susceptibility and value . Additionally, resilience can work to diminish vulnerability, incorporating the system responsive capacity. However, it is usual that risk assessment considers only the direct damage of flooding, tending to prioritize areas with high potential losses using an economic-based approach. This approach can exclude socioeconomically vulnerable communities from receiving proper attention and consequent investments in flooding mitigation measures. In this context, this paper presents an index to measure the Socioeconomic Recovery Capacity of urban areas prone to flooding through a multi-criteria approach, contributing to knowledge by introducing a social bias into flood risk discussion. The Flood Risk to Socioeconomic Recovery Capacity Index (Ri-SoRCI) considers the relative potential damage of flooding events, based on the capacity of the affected inhabitants to recover from losses. The Ri-SoRCI represents a socioeconomic parcel of the flood risk, through two indicators. The first represents the economic recovery capacity of an impacted region. The second indicates the region's social vulnerability. The Ri-SoRCI was applied to the Canal do Mangue basin, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, supported by an environmental modeling tool able to simulate flooding phenomena with an integrated approach. The result shows the risk variation for different areas, from the socioeconomic point of view, subsidizing decision-making for public investments and allowing the construction of sustainability indicators to assess multiple scenarios. The case study validated the proposed index. Highlights: The usual risk assessment may disregard socioeconomically vulnerable communities. Measuring the Socioeconomic Recovery Capacity of urban areas prone to flooding. Multicriteria approach strengths social bias discussion into flood risk management. Flood mapping provides a spatialized view of the risk for different areas. Sustainability indicators to assess multi-scenarios can support decision-making.