Eastern North Carolina’s Social Vulnerability to Natural Disasters Rachel O'Reilly
This data physicalization is a 3D representation of social vulnerability scores to natural disasters in Eastern North Carolina counties. Vulnerability is defined as the potential to be harmed by natural hazards, and therefore social vulnerability is defined as the various social and geographic factors which make an area more or less vulnerable to natural disasters. Factors in an area’s vulnerability to natural disasters include age, demographics, education level, poverty ratio, and flood exposure.
Eastern North Carolina was chosen for this data physicalization due to its clear geographical limits and its unique vulnerability to storms and urban development. Some coastal areas of Eastern North Carolina have greater water surface than land area, which increases the risk of flooding, especially within areas below sea level. There are 44 total counties in this model. Each piece represents one county. The height of the piece directly correlates to the county's vulnerability score. Counties with higher vulnerability scores have a greater height while counties with lower vulnerability scores have a lower height.