Assessment of disaster mitigation capability oriented to typhoon disaster chains: A case study of Fujian Province, China

Abstract

Typhoon disasters are the most frequent and severe natural disasters in China’s southeastern coastal region. The strong wind and rainstorms during typhoons result in secondary disasters, such as storm surges, floods, and landslides. This phenomenon is referred to as a typhoon disaster chain that causes significant loss of life and property every year. Accurately assessing the disaster mitigation capacity and reducing limitations are crucial for improving typhoon disaster risk prevention. However, assessing the capacity of mitigating typhoon disaster chains requires further study. In this study, we select Fujian Province, China, as a case study to identify typical typhoon disaster chains, drawing on historical disasters and the sensitivity of the disaster-forming environment. We establish a county-based framework to assess the disaster mitigation capabilities for typhoon disaster chains. The mitigation capacities of 84 counties within Fujian Province are evaluated using the Random Forest (RF) algorithm, which determines the weights of various indicators. The results show the following. 1) The dominant types of typhoon disaster chains in Fujian Province are typhoon-rainstorm-urban waterlogging (TRU), typhoon-rainstorm-flooding (TRF), typhoon-rainstorm-landslide (TRL), and typhoon-strong wind-storm surge (TWS). Significant spatial differences are observed. 2) The assessment framework, which includes disaster prevention, disaster relief, and government management capabilities, accurately reflects the spatial differences in the disaster chain. The results can be extended to other regions or other disaster chains. 3) Significant spatial heterogeneity is observed in the disaster prevention, relief, and disaster mitigation capacity for typhoon disaster chains in the counties in Fujian Province. The eastern coastal areas have high mitigation capacity, whereas the northwest has low capacity. The disaster prevention capacity is very high in Changle City and Xiuyu District (2.4 %), and the disaster relief capacity is very high in Gulou District, Taijiang District, Changle City, and Huli District (4.8 %). The government disaster management capacity is very high in 7 counties (e.g., Longhai City, Minhou County, and Hui’an City (8.3 %)). The comprehensive disaster mitigation capabilities are very high in Changle City, Longhai City, and Xiuyu County (3.6 %). This study provides a scientific reference for assessing disaster chain mitigation capabilities and enhancing grassroots disaster mitigation efforts.