Social vulnerability analysis framework and assessment methods

Social Vulnerability Analysis

Compare and contrast your findings based on your research and provide a summary.

Describe the correlation between environmental and socioeconomic risk and vulnerability for the counties you selected. This is Part III of the Social Risks and Vulnerabilities Project. St. Lawrence County, New York State and Missoula County, Montana were chosen from the Hazard Vulnerability and Risk Institute web site because they have similar population size but are from different geographic regions (Northeast vs. Northwest).

The correlation between environmental and socioeconomic risk and vulnerability for St. Lawrence County, New York State and Missoula County, Montana

Lawrence County, New York State

Environmental risk factors include the accessibility and availability of tobacco which is higher here than in many other states in the U.S.A. . This makes it one of the places in New York that experiences a high level of lung and bronchus cancer. It has a rural population bases and is one of the poorest counties in the State. With a per capita income of only $15,728, or 67% of the State's average per capita income (2000 Census). Of the county's 111,284 residents, 19,980 were eligible for Medicaid as of February, 2008

The outstanding feature of the economic landscape is agriculture, especially dairying, which accounts for much of the land area in the county. Tobacco faming is also a practice. Correlation between environmental and socioeconomic risk is clear: level of smoking is high particularly since many are uneducated and are not aware of the ill-effects of smoking. They're also able to buy it cheap from their Indian neighbors (St. Lawrence County Public Health Department, 2011)

Missoula County, Montana

Missoula County has problems from contamination from sewage. Not all of Missoula County's areas are served by wastewater treatment plants, and many homes in the county have on-site wastewater disposal systems that ineffectively and possibly incompletely dispose of sewage into the ground. (Missoula County).

Socioeconomic factors contribute to substantially worse health outcomes. Missoula County possesses various high risk and vulnerable populations many of whom are homeless, poor, disabled, as well as families who lack adequate emotional and/or social support. According to the 2009 County Health Profile, approximately 15% of the Population in Missoula County is living at or below the federal poverty level and 19% of Children under age 18 are living in poverty.

There is also a high rate of childhood obesity and poor diet, as well as smoking, and high alcohol drinking. Its sewage problem is definitely associated. Many of the citizens too lack health insurance and mental health challenges are also quite high. (Missoula County, Montana Community Health Assessment: 2011)

Identify and describe the environmental risks for disaster for each county.

Lack of health insurance as well as poverty and inadequate sewage treatment are some of the conditions that provide risk of environmental disaster in Missoula.