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An assessment of multidimensional flood vulnerability at the provincial scale in China based on the DEA method

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Abstract

China suffers frequent and severe floods. A lot of studies have been done in the field of flood disaster, including flood vulnerability assessment. This paper develops assessment models of multidimensional flood vulnerability based on the data envelopment analysis method and identifies multidimensional flood vulnerability—population, death, agriculture and economy—at the provincial scale in China using flood damage data and socioeconomic statistical data from 2001 to 2010. Based on the characteristics of multidimensional flood vulnerability of each province, some suggestions for flood prevention and mitigation are suggested. The assessment models of multidimensional flood vulnerability are simple and can be used for vulnerability analysis of natural disaster at regional or national levels. The assessment of multidimensional flood vulnerability can provide multifaceted information that contributes to a deeper understanding of the flood vulnerability and provides a scientific base for the policy making and implementation of flood prevention and mitigation designs.

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Acknowledgments

This work was jointly funded by National Science & Technology Pillar Program of China during the Eleventh Five-Year Plan Period (Grant No. 2008BAK50B02) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41101517 and Grant No. 40901231). We are grateful to Richard Becker, of the department of geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, for his help in editing the paper. Last but not the least, cordial thanks are extended to the editor-in-chief, Prof. Dr. Thomas Glade, and two anonymous reviewers for their professional comments that greatly improved the quality of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, 46 Zhong-Guan-Cun South Avenue, Beijing, 100081, China

    Dapeng Huang, Renhe Zhang, Zhiguo Huo, Fei Mao & Youhao E

  2. National Satellite Meteorological Center, 46 Zhong-Guan-Cun South Avenue, Beijing, 100081, China

    Wei Zheng

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  1. Dapeng Huang
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  2. Renhe Zhang
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  3. Zhiguo Huo
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  4. Fei Mao
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  5. Youhao E
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  6. Wei Zheng
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Correspondence to Zhiguo Huo.

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Huang, D., Zhang, R., Huo, Z. et al. An assessment of multidimensional flood vulnerability at the provincial scale in China based on the DEA method. Nat Hazards 64, 1575–1586 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0323-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0323-1

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