Application of flood vulnerability index in flood vulnerability assessment: a case study in Mai Hoa Commune, Tuyen Hoa District, Quang Binh Province

This study adopted a flood vulnerability index (FVI) to assess the flood vulnerability of ten villages in Mai Hoa Commune, a mountainous community living along Gianh River in Tuyen Hoa District, Quang Binh Province. The flood vulnerability indicators, which are grouped into Exposure, Susceptibility, and Resilience, were identified given the previous studies on FVI elsewhere and in consultation with local key informants. A questionnaire survey then was conducted with local households and key government staff to compute the FVI of the villages. The data were analyzed by Excel software and then flood vulnerability maps were created by the Quantum GIS software. The findings indicate that there are three villages at the high level, five at the moderate level, and two at the low level of flood vulnerability. The findings also reveal that the exposure indicators such as population in the flooded area and farmland in the flooded area, the susceptibility indicators such as vulnerable population, poverty rate and population with the main income from agriculture, and the resilience indicators such as external support for household disaster risk management, practices in flood risk management, financial capacity for recovery, social resources, and swimming skills, are the main determinants of village flood vulnerability. The findings further indicate that FVI can be used as an effective tool to compare determinants of flood vulnerability among the villages. It, accordingly, suggests priority actions specified to flood vulnerability reduction for the villages.