Flood Vulnerability of Young and Elderly People: A Case Study of Rural Areas of Mardan, Pakistan

Abstract

In August 2010, an extreme flood occurred in Pakistan, causing catastrophic havoc in the number of fatalities and economic losses. The study presents the vulnerability of young and elderly people in floods since the elderly people are more vulnerable and have a higher degree of fragility during emergency and evacuation than young people. However, elderly people are often ignored in disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. Very few and inadequate research literature is available to assess the vulnerability of elderly and young people in Pakistan. The aim of this study is to assess the vulnerability of both elderly and young people in the context of floods; a flood is one of the most major hazards causing disasters in Pakistan. This study examines the flood risk perceptions of young and elderly people, evaluates the institutional barriers to effective disaster risk reduction of elderly and young people, and suggests an integrated framework for the vulnerability assessment of young and elderly people. The young and elderly both can play a significant role in disaster risk reduction. Questionnaire surveys, in-depth interviews and publications of various national and international disaster management institutions are used for data collection. The outcome of this study can be used by various organizations in Pakistan for effective Disaster Risk Reduction of young as well as elderly people.