Essay Sample on Social Vulnerability: Impact on Disaster Outcomes in Communities

All communities are exposed to potential disasters which may be caused naturally or human. These hazards include natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados and outbreak of diseases such as Ebola. According to CDC, some factors have a lot of impact on the outcome of disaster; these factors reduce a community's ability to reduce and prevent human suffering and losses in case a disaster occurs (CDC,2016). These factors are referred to as social vulnerability. Communities which are socially vulnerable have fewer preparations and mitigations to avert disasters; thus, their likelihood of recovering from these disasters is less. Social vulnerability should be addressed to reduces suffering and also costs that arise due to these disasters (CDC, 2016)

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

CDC Social Vulnerability Index utilizes data collected during the census to assess and determine social vulnerability. The SVI is a database that ranks the census tracts in the US. There are many factors used in determining social vulnerability. This includes poverty levels, crowded housing and lack of access to vehicles (CDC, 2016) These factors are then regrouped under composite factors which are socioeconomic status, composition of household. ethnicity or language and housing. The social vulnerability index is used in various ways. The Social Vulnerability Index has played a critical role in the estimation of expenditure, identification of areas which need emergency shelters, evacuation planning, helping in making decisions on how many emergency personnel. (CDC,2016)

The composite factors addressed above have had a lot of impact on the outcome of historical events(disasters). A case example of a historical event that occurred is Hurricane Florence that led to the displacement of people and billions lost due to damages. Hurricane Florence led to damage among communities living in Eastern North Carolina. Hurricanes are very destructive, and the way they are managed after their occurrence is critical. As stated above, the social vulnerability index is measured using four composite factors which are housing, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and household composition (Kelly et al.,2015). Understanding what leads to social vulnerability is critical in helping the affected communities during disasters.

Firstly, the socioeconomic status of an economy is a significant determinant in measuring the social vulnerability index. For example, poverty contributed to social vulnerability among communities in Eastern Carolina. Thousands of people, mostly farmworkers, were affected whereas the elderly citizens and others who had modest incomes at the time of the disaster needed help to live healthy lives (Kelly et al.,2015). The social vulnerability index in terms of socioeconomic position was high. Moreover, the poor are likely to suffer from disasters because of poor resources and inadequate access to health and hazard insurance.

Another factor that might have affected the outcome of the disaster is ethnicity. Race and ethnicity have been found to contribute significantly to social vulnerability. This is due to inadequate resources; therefore, mindful c consideration should be portrayed to focus on helping disadvantaged groups. In conclusion, places with high social vulnerability require a lot of attention regarding disaster management and avoiding suffering.

Works Cited

CDC.Introduction to CDC's Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). 2016.Retrieved from<https: www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5m0Lb3B4UY&feature=player_embedded

Bergstrand, Kelly, et al. "Assessing the relationship between social vulnerability and community resilience to hazards." Social Indicators Research 122.2 (2015): 391-409.