Understanding Your Risk and Impacts

 Drought Impacts and Vulnerability

Drought risk is based on a combination of the frequency, severity, and spatial extent of drought (the physical nature of drought) and the degree to which a population or activity is vulnerable to the effects of drought. The degree of a region’s vulnerability depends on the environmental and social characteristics of the region and is measured by their ability to anticipate, cope with, resist, and recover from drought.

Society’s vulnerability to drought is determined by a wide range of factors, both physical and social, such as demographic trends and geographic characteristics. People and activities will be affected in different ways by different hazards (see, for example, a comparison of droughts, floods, and hurricanes). Understanding and reducing these vulnerabilities is essential in preparing for and dealing with drought.

This page provides steps to help people understand their vulnerability to drought. The following two articles are the basis for this approach.

How to Reduce Drought Risk

This step-by-step guide helps planners identify actions that can be taken to reduce potential drought-related impacts.

Reducing Drought Risk: Bridging Theory and Practice

Provides an in-depth analysis of the theory behind drought risk analysis.

This process can also be undertaken as part of a larger drought planning procedure like the NDMC’s ten-step process, outlined in Drought Preparedness Planning: Building Institutional Capacity. 

How to Investigate Drought Vulnerability: It’s as easy as 1-2-3

1. Identify Relevant Drought Impacts and Trends Over Time
2. Rank Significant Drought Impacts
3. Investigate the Underlying Causes of Drought Impacts

  Identify Relevant Drought Impacts and Trends over Time

One important aspect of reducing vulnerability is to understand the impacts of drought. Each drought produces a unique set of impacts, depending not only on the drought’s severity, duration, and spatial extent but also on ever-changing social conditions. These impacts are often symptoms of other underlying problems (vulnerabilities). So, in order to understand vulnerability, a good place to start is to investigate drought impacts. The following links provide information on current drought impacts in the United States and around the world.

Drought Impact Reporter
Links to current and historical drought impact information.

Sources for Drought Impact Information
Links to other resources with information about impacts and current conditions, by state and at the national level.

News Articles
Links to articles relating to drought impacts.

Current Drought Impacts Around the World
Links to current drought impact information across the globe

You can also explore archives of websites with information on historical drought occurrences and impacts in the United States and around the world . Understanding trends in drought occurrence and impacts over time is important for projecting potential future impacts and understanding our changing vulnerabilities. With a good understanding of drought impacts that have affected or could affect your livelihood or activity, the most significant impacts can then be identified for further review by conducting a drought impact assessment.
           
  Rank Significant Drought Impacts
Drought can result in many direct and indirect impacts. Some of these may be more important than others in terms of your values and interests. Addressing the most significant impacts first will help target limited resources and hopefully have a larger effect in reducing drought impacts and vulnerabilities.

Ranking Drought Impacts allows planners to target the most significant drought impacts.

    Investigate the Underlying Cause of Drought Impacts
Once the most significant drought impacts have been identified, it is important to understand why the impacts occur so the true vulnerabilities (causes of the problem) can be addressed.

Drought Vulnerability Analysis describes methods to help planners identify the true causes of drought impacts. Once drought risk has been assessed, actions can be taken to mitigate drought impacts.