Assessing Area Vulnerability to Natural Hazards: Case Study of Floods

E. V. Buldakova, V. G. Zaikanov*, and T. B. Minakova
Translated by G. Krichevets

Sergeev Institute of Environmental Geoscience, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 101000 Russia

Correspondence to: *E-mail: zaikanov@geoenv.ru Received November 14, 2016

Abstract—An approach to assessing the vulnerability of areas to floods is discussed. An algorithm for assessing the vulnerability is suggested and a set of parameters required is identified. An urban-landscape site is taken as a basic elementary unit for the assessment of area vulnerability. The difference in the indices of natural resource potential before and after the event is taken as an integral characteristic for vulnerability assessment. The proposed approach can be used for assessing the vulnerability to flooding of both urban and natural systems.

Keywords: vulnerability assessment, flood parameters, geosystem, urban-landscape site, natural-resource potential

DOI: 10.1134/S0097807816070022