Validation of methods for the assessment of physical vulnerability to dynamic flooding

<p>The importance of assessing the physical vulnerability of assets to natural hazards is indisputable. Recent extreme events have shown that the severity of natural hazards is strongly linked to the vulnerability of the population and the built environment. Physical vulnerability, in particular, is directly connected to monetary damages and interruptions that are in the centre of the interests of several stakeholders including governments, authorities, insurance companies, engineers, and homeowners. A plethora of different approaches is available in the literature, nevertheless, two categories of approaches are the most prominent: vulnerability curves and vulnerability indicators. In this study, both are put to the test by using data from two relatively recent dynamic flood events. In more detail, a physical vulnerability index (PVI) and a Beta model based on damage data from Italy and Austria are validated using recent damage data from an event in Dimaro Folgarida (Trento, Italy) in 2018 and an event in Schallerbach (Tirol, Austria) in 2015. The study does not just validate the methods but also investigates remaining uncertainties related to the assessment of the process intensity on buildings and the calculation of the building value by conducting a sensitivity analysis. </p>

Mountain hazards and Building Back Better (BBB) – focus on the Austrian Alps

<p>Natural hazards cause often material damages and loss of life. Human efforts are concentrated not only on the time preceding the occurrence of a hazard (forecast, evacuation, response, land use planning and structural measures) but also during (response, emergency operations) and after the occurrence of a catastrophic process (reconstruction of damaged buildings and infrastructure). As far as the reconstruction phase in concerned, authorities and citizens tend to rebuild their houses and infrastructure in the same way and location they were before the hazard strikes. The present study outlines the reconstruction efforts of two municipalities and the changes that they made following a torrential event in order to increase their resilience to natural hazards and to reduce future loss.  In more detail, a physical vulnerability index is used to assess the Build Back Better (BBB) of two alpine villages in Austria that experienced significant damages during the event of 2005. The BBB is investigated at three levels: the municipal level (structural measures and land use changes), the building level (physical vulnerability index) and the community level (public awareness). At the building level, the vulnerability index used is based on a number of indicators (building characteristics) including the height of windows, the existence, material and height of surrounding walls, the orientation of the building and the shielding of neighboring structures. The index compares the pattern of the physical vulnerability of buildings for both municipalities in 2005 and in the present. Both villages have now completed the reconstruction process, however, a similar event in the future could still cause significant damage. Changes in the building design and development of local adaptation measures have decreased the physical vulnerability of some buildings, however, some others remain equally vulnerable.  Based on the investigation of the reconstruction process recommendations regarding local adaptation measures are presented.</p>

MAPPING TSUNAMI VULNERABILITY FOR MATARAM CITY IN LOMBOK ISLAND – INDONESIA: A PHYSICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC ASSESSMENT

<p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Letak kedekatan lokasi geografis dengan lempeng tektonik <em>Eurasian</em> dan <em>Indo-Australian</em> membawa konsekuensi logis terhadap tingginya resiko kebencanaan, terutama gempa dan tsunami, bagi Indonesia. Kota Mataram yang merupakan ibukota Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Barat merupakan salah satu wilayah yang perlu mendapatkan perhatian khusus terhadap resiko bencana tsunami. Sebagai langkah awal, identifikasi lokasi yang paling rentan terhadap resiko bencana tsunami perlu dilakukan dengan memadukan aspek-aspek fisik, sosial dan ekonomi. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasikan lokasi paling rentan terhadap resiko bencana tsunami di Kota Mataram dengan menggunakan analisa sistem informasi geografis (<em>GIS</em>). Penilaian dilakukan dengan mengembangkan Indeks Gabungan (<em>Composite Index</em>) berupa <em>Total Vulnerability Index</em> (<em>TVI</em>) yang merupakan kombinasi Indeks Kerentanan Fisik/ <em>Physical Vulnerability Index</em> (<em>PVI</em>), Indeks Kerentanan Sosial/ <em>Social Vulnerability Index</em> (<em>SVI</em>) dan Indeks Kerentanan Ekonomi/ <em>Economic Vulnerability Index</em> (<em>EVI</em>). Hasil analisis berhasil menemukenali bahwa Kota Tua Ampenan merupakan wilayah di Kota Mataram dengan nilai indeks gabungan tertinggi yang mencerminkan tingkat kerentanan yang paling tinggi.</span></p>