Vulnerability

Two useful ideas are exposure and vulnerability. Exposure concerns the people and property located in the affected area. Vulnerability concerns how susceptible they are to harm.

Development matters because resources, infrastructure and people’s living conditions influence vulnerability. However, development alone does not determine the outcome: the storm’s characteristics, where it strikes and the number of people and assets exposed also matter. These two events are therefore a useful comparison, not a controlled experiment proving that wealth explains every difference.

Vulnerability means susceptibility to harm. It is closely connected to exposure: people and buildings on a cyclone’s path are exposed to its hazards. Among those exposed, people in weak housing with few resources may be more vulnerable than people in strong housing who can evacuate safely.