Assessing vulnerability of rural buildings to tornadoes and their relationships with building attributes and surrounding land uses

This study presents an empirical assessment of rural building vulnerability to tornadoes in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, China, with a particular focus on how building attributes and surrounding land‑use patterns shape disaster risk. Using damage data from the 2016 “6.23” EF4 tornado, the authors apply logistic regression and XGBoost models to analyse 2,521 buildings and 42 villages, identifying key factors that heighten or reduce vulnerability. The findings show that structural type, number of storeys, building use, and floor area significantly influence damage severity, while land‑use categories such as arable land, built‑up land, river surfaces, and transportation corridors also play critical roles. Chapters analysing village‑level impacts highlight how specific land‑use configurations can either exacerbate or mitigate tornado damage, offering insights relevant to climate‑related disaster risk reduction. 

The publication recommends strengthening rural building design standards, prioritising more resilient structural types, and integrating land‑use planning into tornado adaptation strategies. It emphasises that rural areas—often characterised by older structures and limited emergency capacity—require targeted interventions, including improved settlement planning, strategic placement of infrastructure, and the preservation or enhancement of protective land‑use features such as forested areas and water bodies. The authors conclude that combining building‑level improvements with landscape‑scale planning can substantially reduce future tornado risks and support more resilient rural development.