Spatial pattern of the population casualty rate caused by super typhoon Lekima and quantification of the interactive effects of potential impact factors

Abstract

Background Typhoons greatly threaten human life and property, especially in China. Therefore, it is important to make effective policy decisions to minimize losses associated with typhoons. Methods In this study, the GeoDetector method was used to quantify the determinant powers of natural and socioeconomic factors, and their interactions, on the population casualty rate of super typhoon Lekima. The local indicator of spatial association (LISA) method was followed to explore the spatial pattern of the population casualty rate under the influence of the identified dominant factors. Results Both natural and socioeconomic factors were found to have significantly impacted the population casualty rate due to super typhoon Lekima. Among the selected factors, maximum precipitation was dominant factor (q = 0.56), followed by maximum wind speed (q = 0.45). In addition, number of health technicians (q = 0.35) and number of health beds (q = 0.27) have a strong influence on the population casualty rate. Among the interactive effects of 12 influencing factors, the combined effects of maximum precipitation and ratio of brick-wood houses, the maximum precipitation and ratio of steel-concrete houses, maximum precipitation and number of health technicians were highest (q = 0.72). Furthermore, high-risk areas with very high casualty rates were concentrated in the southeastern part of Zhejiang and northern Shandong Provinces, while lower-risk areas were mainly distributed in northern Liaoning and eastern Jiangsu provinces. Conclusions These results contribute to the development of more specific policies aimed at safety and successful property protection according to the regional differences during typhoons.

The threaten of typhoons to the health of residents in inland areas: a study on the vulnerability of residents to death risk during typhoon “Lekima”

“…Typhoon disasters, as extreme weather phenomenon, have occurred in many countries in recent years. China is one of the most vulnerable countries to typhoon disasters currently [ 3 – 5 ]. There are seven typhoons or tropical cyclones that make landfall from coastal provinces of China each year, and the spatial patterns of the disasters for typhoons with different landing paths were significantly different [ 6 , 7 ].…”

“…Typhoon Lekima affected 14,024,000 Chinese residents, caused 57 deaths, 14 missing, and 2,097,000 residents to require emergency care. The direct economic loss was more than 8.43 billion US dollars, and the indirect economic loss was unquantifiable, especially the health risk caused by typhoon disaster was enormous, which was difficult to estimate [ 2 , 5 , 11 ]. In August 11, the typhoon Lekima landed in Jinan, and had a devastating impact on Jinan in just three days.…”