A framework for using GIS and stakeholder input to assess vulnerability to coastal-inundation hazards: A case study from Sarasota County, Florida

Continued development in coastal communities results in an increase in the number of people and assets exposed to the type of catastrophic hazards recently displayed by Hurricane Katrina. Traditionally, the vulnerability of coastal communities has been measured either on a micro (community) or a macro (regional) scale. We present research that suggests vulnerability assessments need to be conducted on both micro and a macro scales to more fully address many of the components that contribute to localized community vulnerability. Research presented in this chapter utilizes a GIS methodologically heavy case study of Sarasota County, Florida, in conjunction with an extended version of a vulnerability framework developed by Füssel (2007) to consider traditional components of vulnerability at both the micro and macro scales. This is accomplished through the theoretical concept of geospatially dependent vulnerability where it is demonstrated that local community vulnerability is multi-scalar and thus must be measured at multiple geographic scales to provide a vulnerability analysis sufficiently robust to adequately aid communities in hazard mitigation and resilience enhancement.