Where are the most socially vulnerable populations in the U.S.?

What is Social Vulnerability?Every community must prepare for and respond to hazardous events, whether a natural disaster like a tornado or a disease outbreak, or an anthropogenic event such as a harmful chemical spill. The degree to which a community exhibits certain social conditions, including high poverty, low percentage of vehicle access, or crowded households, among others, may affect that community’s ability to prevent human suffering and financial loss in the event of a disaster. These factors describe a community’s social vulnerability.What is the CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index?ATSDR’s Geospatial Research, Analysis, & Services Program (GRASP) created the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Social Vulnerability Index (hereafter, CDC/ATSDR SVI or SVI) to help public health officials and emergency response planners identify and map the communities that will most likely need support before, during, and after a hazardous event.SVI indicates the relative vulnerability of every U.S. census tract. Census tracts are subdivisions of counties for which the Census collects statistical data. SVI ranks the tracts on 16 social factors, such as unemployment, racial and ethnic minority status, and disability status. Then, SVI further groups the factors into four related themes. Thus, each tract receives a ranking for each Census variable and for each of the four themes as well as an overall ranking.Below, text that describes “tract” methods also refers to county methods.How can the SVI help communities be better prepared for hazardous events?SVI provides specific socially and spatially relevant information to help public health officials and local planners better prepare communities to respond to emergency events such as severe weather, floods, disease outbreaks, or chemical exposure.SVI can be used to:Assess community need during emergency preparedness planning.Estimate the type and quantity of needed supplies such as food, water, medicine, and bedding.Decide the number of emergency personnel required to assist people.Identify areas in need of emergency shelters.Create a plan to evacuate people, accounting for those who have special needs, such as those without vehicles, the elderly, or people who do not speak English well.Identify communities that will need continued support to recover following an emergency or natural disaster.For more detailed methodology and attribute details, please review this document.