Landscape and Socioeconomic Impacts of Hurricanes Ivan and Sally in Escambia County, Florida

Keywords: vulnerability, hurricanes, flooding
Session Type: Virtual Poster Abstract
Day: Monday
Session Start / End Time: 2/28/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/28/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 49

Abstract

Hurricanes present substantial threats to coastal communities around the globe. In the United States alone, hurricanes have caused over 6500 deaths and $1.8 trillion in economic loss since 1980. Flooding from hurricanes can have detrimental effects on local communities. Studies have shown that damage from said flooding is spread unequally amongst different segments of the population.
The area of focus for this study is Escambia County, Florida. Hurricanes Ivan and Sally caused much damage within the county. The focus of this research is three-fold: (1) to determine the spatial extent of flooding and its relationship with land use in Escambia County for the two hurricanes, Ivan and Sally, (2) to determine the most vulnerable segments of the populations, and (3) to examine the statistical relationship between flooding and socioeconomic variables.
For research objective number one, satellite imagery will be collected and analyzed. Home damage data will also be collected and analyzed to determine the spatial extent of flooding. For research objective number two, socioeconomic and demographic data will be collected from the US Census and the American Community Survey (ACS). For research objective number 3, cross-tabulations and ordinal logistic regression models will be used. The findings of this study will be useful to city managers and residents in the area, as they would be able to better predict where the most vulnerable areas will be during future storms as well as who will be most at risk.