Who bears the burden? An assessment of vulnerability and resilience to consecutive disasters in the Portland metro region

Climate-related disasters threaten urban areas worldwide, yet gaps remain in understanding how multiple stressors interact to shape resilience. This study examines exposure, vulnerability, and resilience across three consecutive extreme events in the Portland metro area: the September 2020 wildfire-related air pollution, the February 2021 snowstorm, and the June 2021 heatwave. We used geographically weighted regression and Spearman rank correlation analysis to investigate relationships between hazard impacts, the social vulnerability index (SoVI), Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities (BRIC), and proximity to community-based organizations (CBOs) in 416 census tracts. Our analysis reveals strong spatial correlations between wildfire-related air pollution, winter storm impacts, and extreme heat exposure. Communities already burdened by poor air quality, freezing precipitation, and urban heat island effects faced heightened cumulative risk. While this varied by neighborhood, racial minorities, migrant workers, non-US citizens, and low-income households were significantly affected. In contrast, affluent communities with lower SoVI scores and higher BRIC values exhibited greater resilience and were less exposed to these hazards. Although CBOs were concentrated in areas with high SoVI, they were insufficient in mitigating disaster impacts. This study underscores the urgent need for multi-hazard resilience planning centered on advancing environmental justice, vulnerability reduction, CBO capacity building, and investment in critical infrastructure in at-risk communities.