ABSTRACT
There is a saying in the natural hazards and disasters research field that hazards happen and disasters are created. Socio-economic, political and environmental processes act in concert to make different groups of people more or less susceptible to harm when exposed to a hazard (Wisner et al., 2003). Guangdong Province, along the coast of southern China in the Pearl River Delta, is highly exposed to a variety of weather-related hazards, frequently experiencing tropical cyclones, heavy rainfall events and heat waves. Its rural counties have agrarianbased economies in which poverty is endemic, and residents do not enjoy the same levels of access to services as do their urban counterparts. Meanwhile, the urban areas have experienced a surge of economic growth and have concentrated buildings and assets in low-lying coastal areas. During China’s economic reforms of 1978, Guangdong was one of the first areas opened to foreign investment and trade as a ‘special economic zone’. Manufacturing and export industries thrived under the pilot programme, and Guangdong has become a cornerstone of the national economy, producing more income than any other province for over two decades. From 1979 to 2009, its annual GDP growth averaged 13.6%, while its population has swelled by two-thirds since 1990 to 104.3 million (Du, 2013; GDASS, 2011). The main industries include manufacturing (e.g. electronics, chemicals, biopharmaceuticals, automobiles and light manufacturing), construction, farming and fishing. Guangdong plays a leading role in the socio-economic development of China as a whole. Its GDP (GBP540 billion in 2011) accounts for 11.2% of the national GDP and was ranked the highest in the nation for 22 consecutive years in 2010 (Lu, 2012; Li & Fung Research Centre, 2012). With its agglomeration of coastal cities and wealth, Guangdong is also highly exposed to weather hazards and climate change (Du, 1997; GDCC, 2013).
