1 Vulnerability Assessment for Climate-Induced Disasters in Malaysia U.Kulatunga 1* , C.P.Pathirage 1 , M.Thayaparan 2 , and N. Sulaiman 3 1 Centre for Disaster Resilience, University of Salford, Salford, UK 2 London Southbank University, UK 3 Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Malaysia *E-Mail: Corresponding author U.Kulatunga@salford.ac.uk, TP: 00441612956943 Abstract: Climate induced disasters can be considered as an outcome of a triggering agents (often known as the hazard) and vulnerability factors. Within the context of climate-induced disasters, humans do not have the control over the triggering agents. Even though it is difficult to control the triggering agent, the level of its exposure to a vulnerable community or system would determine the severity of its impact. Within this context, by reducing the vulnerability the impact of climate-induced disasters can be minimized. Accordingly, this study evaluates the disaster vulnerability factors in Malaysia with particular reference to the climate-induced disaster- floods. A workshop has been carried out with the involvement of practitioners and professionals who are linked with the disaster management activities to identify the key vulnerable factors from the context of Malaysia. The findings identified Social Vulnerability as the main vulnerability factor that affect the Malaysian community followed by Operational/Managerial, Technological, Economic and Political. The findings of the study revealed the need of addressing vulnerability factors at different levels such as at the community, institutional and policy levels and how the vulnerability factors are interconnected with one another. Keywords: disasters, clickers voting system, hazard, vulnerability. 1. Introduction Concerns on the potential impact due to climate change on human beings, natural and built environment are ever increasing. IPCC [1] states that climate change can increase the intensity, frequency and change the distribution patterns of weather events. Studies carried out in Malaysia have revealed that increased temperature due to climate change is often resulted in increased storms and rainfall intensity [2]. The large variations of the rainfall in frequency and intensity have prone to fluctuations in the river flows that have resulted in climate-induced disasters such as floods, landslides, and soil erosion in Malaysia creating unfavourable results for socio-economic systems in the country. Accordingly, it is argued that that climate change has introduced an additional layer of complexity and uncertainty into planning and preparedness for disasters in Malaysia. Disasters have the common characteristics of a triggering agent (the hazard), and the vulnerability factors [3, 4]. Within the context of climate- induced disasters, humans do not have the control over the triggering agents. Most of the time the triggering agent is an outcome of a powerful natural environment [5], which is beyond the control of the humans. Even though it is difficult to control the triggering agent, the level of its exposure to a vulnerable community or system would determine the severity of its impact. Therefore, reducing the vulnerability could lead to reduce the impacts of climate-induced disasters as vulnerability factors could intensify the severity of the disaster [5]. Accordingly, this study evaluates the disaster vulnerability factors in Malaysia with particular reference to the climate-induced disaster- floods. The study is based on the outcome of a workshop carried out to evaluate the vulnerability for climate-induced disasters in Malaysia. The paper is structured as follows: first the literature review outlining the disaster vulnerability factors is presented. This is followed by the research methods used to gather the data is presented. Next, data analysis highlighting the most significant vulnerability factors in the Malaysian context is discussed. Finally, conclusions are drawn based on the relevance of the findings within the global context by comparing and contrasting them with similar research carried elsewhere. 2. Literature Review Disaster vulnerability factors can directly or indirectly affect the process and outcomes of disaster management. Hence, the identification of key disaster vulnerability factors will be an enabler to manage disasters successfully. Eight broad categories of disaster vulnerability factors, which