Presenter(s)

Caroline Deerwester

Comments

9:00-10:15, Kennedy Union Ballroom

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Description

Flooding is one of the most destructive natural disasters, with widespread implications for public safety, infrastructure, and environmental health. Southwestern Ohio, specifically the city of Dayton, has historically experienced flood events. The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 in Dayton, Ohio, was one of the most catastrophic flooding events, causing the Great Miami River(GMR) to overflow its banks. This tragic event led to the loss of over 360 lives and widespread property damage. In recent years, climate change models have projected increasing flood events. In addition, flood risks are not distributed equally across communities. In Dayton, historical redlining policies have shaped the demographic distribution, leaving underserved minority communities, particularly in the Northwestern parts of the city near the Great Miami River, disproportionately vulnerable to environmental hazards. These areas are not only at risk of flooding, but also suffer from historical and systemic disadvantages related to economic, racial, and social factors. This creates an urgent need to assess flood vulnerability within the context of environmental justice. This study investigates the social impacts of the 1913 flood, focusing on how minority populations were affected. To achieve this, we construct a historical Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) using 1910 census data, comparing it to a contemporary SVI developed through principal component analysis (PCA) applied to current vulnerability-related demographic variables at the census-block level. Our comparative analysis of historical and contemporary SVIs aims to evaluate whether infrastructure improvements, particularly the levee system, have effectively mitigated flood vulnerability and addressed disparities in flood risk exposure over time.

Publication Date

4-23-2025

Project Designation

Capstone Project

Primary Advisor

Chia-Yu Wu

Primary Advisor's Department

Geology and Environmental Geosciences

Keywords

Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

Institutional Learning Goals

Community; Diversity

Exploring the Environmental Justice Implications by Assessing Flood Vulnerability in Southwestern Ohio

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