The Role of Social Features in Urban Neighborhoods in Resilience to Flooding

DESCRIPTION: This study seeks to complement existing efforts by advancing resilience to coastal flooding through means other than engineering. The objective is to identify vulnerable populations and guide the design of interventions to build resilience to coastal storms in urban communities. The study identifies factors that are associated with vulnerability to coastal flooding driven by storms in urban neighborhoods based on evidence from the recovery from hurricane Sandy in NYC. The study will demonstrate factors that have already led to greater resilience as well as sources of vulnerability to provide examples of what communities and government can do to better prepare for future storms.

OUTCOMES: 1) Collected unique primary household data that document impacts of Hurricane Sandy, costs and process of recovery, assistance received during recovery, social networks, and socio-economic characteristics 2 -3 years after the storm in two areas most severly affected by the storm: the Rockaways and south-eastern shore of Staten Island. 2) Identified determinants of social vulnerability to coastal flooding in urban neighbohoods. 3) Contributed to the development of a social vulnerability index for NYC.