University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2022 Fall Engineering Research Fair

“Analyzing Vulnerability Models Using Data From Hurricane Maria.” Poster presented at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Fall Engineering Research Fair. Champaign, IL. September 2022.

An absence of resource prioritization considerations for disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria motivates the investigation of vulnerability indexes that may be used to identify the most vulnerable communities after a disaster. This paper sought to evaluate the accuracy of different vulnerability models, including the Center for Disease Control’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), an adapted SVI for Puerto Rico, transportation vulnerability, environmental vulnerability, and a combination of the adapted SVI, transportation, and environmental vulnerability called the Puerto Rico Socioeconomic and Environmental Vulnerability Index (PRSEVI). Python, ArcGIS Pro, R, open data sources, and Connect Relief by Caras Con Causa data were used to conduct distance analysis, a paired t-test, and correlation analysis to evaluate the accuracy of the vulnerability models. It was found that the SVI was not an accurate reflection of the impact of Hurricane Maria, and neither were the other vulnerability models that were evaluated, though it is certainly possible to create a vulnerability model that is more accurate than the SVI for Puerto Rico. The study reveals the need to create contextually appropriate and widely-available disaster relief and resilience tools for Puerto Rico as climate change causes more frequent and severe disasters to affect the tropical island.