Demographics and social vulnerability in emergency planning

Demographics of Social Vulnerability

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In principle, social vulnerability is a component of hazard vulnerability that reflects the impacts of hazards on the ability of individuals and communities to deal with adversity in the forms associated with hazards and disasters (Lindell, Perry, & Prater, 2006 p. 155). More particularly, social vulnerability comprises the subcomponents of demographics, economics, politics, and psychology. With respect to demographics, social vulnerability is no different from its influence, because the susceptibility of any person, family, community, or society to social consequences of difficult circumstances depends substantially on demographic factors (Lindell, Perry, & Prater, 2006 p. 155). Just as physical, economic, and system vulnerability must be assessed and considered by emergency planners, so must the social vulnerability of the individuals living in at-risk communities.

Generally, the ability of communities to plan for, cope with, withstand the impact of, and recover from the physical elements of hazards and disasters depends substantially on the demographics of infrastructure development and of the existence of preparedness and response systems prior to the disaster (Lindell, Perry, & Prater, 2006 p. 160). Precisely the same is true in connection with social vulnerability to the consequences of disaster. Instead of measuring that capacity in terms of the demographics of physical structures and systems, the capacity of communities to plan for, cope with, and recover from disaster in the social realm also depends substantially on demographics as they pertain to social elements (Lindell, Perry, & Prater, 2006 p. 160).