Disaster Epidemiology

Hainan 2010 Flood Case Study

Hainan Island is the smallest province in China. It is also the only part of China that is situated within the tropical zone.

In October 2010, Hainan Province experienced severe flooding as a result of heavy rainfall. Since no scientific literature has been published about this devastating disaster, this project aims to obtain a better quantitative and qualitative understanding of the health impacts stemming from this particular incident by

Investigating the impact of how the 2010 flood in Hainan Island affected the physical and psychological health of the local population;
Identifying the behavioural changes resulting from exposure to the disaster; and
Exploring the association between the multidimensional poverty index (MPI) and self-perceived disaster preparedness.

Project duration: 2011-2012

Health Impact of Floods in China

In China, the burden of flooding is not limited to casualties, infrastructure damage and economic loss. Climate-change disasters may have indirect long-term effects on the population’s health risk profiles, economic growth, and social development, as well as on the resilience of the natural environment in which that population lives. This project aims:

To review existing literatures related to the human health consequences of flooding in China;
To identify knowledge gaps relevant to public health response in recent flood-related disasters;
To map flood incidents and their consequences in China;
To develop a profile of disaster risk literacy in China; and
To identify socio-demographic factors that make certain populations more prone to the negative effects of flooding

Project duration: 2012-2015