A Climate Justice Approach to Major Flooding Events

Environmental justice addresses the historical exclusion of minority communities from decision-making processes which has facilitated the unequal distribution of government services. These communities are disproportionately impacted by environmental and health related disparities, which are exacerbated during extreme weather events. Climate justice puts less emphasis on specific hazards and more on the long-term, worsening effects of climate change while promoting fair distribution of resources. For example, flood events exacerbate issues such as increasing economic instability, disrupting access to food and household resources, and aggravating existing health disparities. American gulf and coastal regions face a higher risk of extreme flooding events due to hurricanes, which has disproportionately impacted their socially vulnerable populations. The effects of climate change are projected to increase the severity and frequency of major hurricanes. Understanding long-term hurricane trends relating to vulnerable populations informs more equitable responses on recovery, mitigation and resilience.

To begin to take climate justice concerns seriously, it is critical to focus on the integration of social and weather/climate data. The aim of this research is to look at priority locations where interventions can mitigate both physical and social aspects of vulnerability related to flooding in the New Orleans, Louisiana area post Hurricane Katrina. This analysis overlays the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index data with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s flood depth data. A statistical analysis using multivariate clustering will demonstrate spatial clusters of extreme flood depth in socially vulnerable areas. Results will give a better understanding where high social vulnerability coincides with high flood depth.