Five ways to ensure flood-risk research helps the most vulnerable
This article reviews the five key ways that research can ensure the inclusion of vulnerable people in flood-risk. Decades of research on environmental justice and social vulnerability have shown that the risks and impacts from flooding are disproportionately borne by marginalized households. Over the past few years, researchers have begun to quantify this effect. For example, from 1999 to 2013, white residents of US counties with extensive damage from natural hazards, including flooding, on average gained $126,000 in wealth over this period; Black and Latinx residents on average lost $27,000 and $29,000, respectively. Communities with higher incomes often receive more aid after disasters.
The five key ways that researchers can be more inclusive are:
- Collect the right data.
- Choose the right metrics.
- Probe mechanisms that perpetuate inequality.
- Examine those who profit from the current system.
- Broaden participation in research.
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