Spatial patterns of natural hazards mortality in the United States.
Spatial patterns of natural hazards mortality in the United States.
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DOI：
10.1186/1476-072x-7-64
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发表时间：
2008-12-17
影响因子：
4.9
通讯作者：
Cutter SL
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Borden KA;Cutter SL
关于自然灾害死亡率的研究通常是针对具体灾害（如洪水、地震、高温）、具体事件（如卡特里娜飓风），或缺乏足够的时间或地理覆盖面。这使得很难系统地评估自然灾害造成的死亡率。本文采用地理学和流行病学相结合的方法，研究了1970-2004年美国县级自然灾害死亡率的空间格局。日常慢性危害，如恶劣天气（夏季和冬季）和高温，占自然危害死亡人数的大多数。最容易因自然灾害死亡的区域是南部和西部山区，但次区域国家一级的死亡率模式显示出更多的变化。有一个独特的城市/农村组成部分，以县的模式，以及沿海的趋势。高死亡率的重要集群位于密西西比河谷下游、大平原上游和西部山区，德克萨斯州西部和佛罗里达狭长地带也有其他地区。低死亡率的重要集群位于中西部和城市化的东北部。没有一致的灾害死亡率数据来源，但现有数据库的改进可以产生高质量的数据，可以纳入空间流行病学研究，如本文所示。必须从地理透镜的角度看待自然灾害造成的死亡率，以便更好地向生活在这些灾害易发地区的公众提供信息，但更重要的是，要向必须在其社区规划和应对灾害的当地应急人员提供信息。
Studies on natural hazard mortality are most often hazard-specific (e.g. floods, earthquakes, heat), event specific (e.g. Hurricane Katrina), or lack adequate temporal or geographic coverage. This makes it difficult to assess mortality from natural hazards in any systematic way. This paper examines the spatial patterns of natural hazard mortality at the county-level for the U.S. from 1970–2004 using a combination of geographical and epidemiological methods. Chronic everyday hazards such as severe weather (summer and winter) and heat account for the majority of natural hazard fatalities. The regions most prone to deaths from natural hazards are the South and intermountain west, but sub-regional county-level mortality patterns show more variability. There is a distinct urban/rural component to the county patterns as well as a coastal trend. Significant clusters of high mortality are in the lower Mississippi Valley, upper Great Plains, and Mountain West, with additional areas in west Texas, and the panhandle of Florida, Significant clusters of low mortality are in the Midwest and urbanized Northeast. There is no consistent source of hazard mortality data, yet improvements in existing databases can produce quality data that can be incorporated into spatial epidemiological studies as demonstrated in this paper. It is important to view natural hazard mortality through a geographic lens so as to better inform the public living in such hazard prone areas, but more importantly to inform local emergency practitioners who must plan for and respond to disasters in their community.