by Cheyenne Danielle Quijano

Abstract
Typhoons and their accompanying flooding have destructive effects, including an increase in the risk of waterborne disease in children. Using a spatial regression discontinuity design, I explore the immediate to short-term effects of flooding as a result of Typhoon Labuyo on the incidence of diarrhea and acute respiratory infection in the Philippines by comparing children living in a flooded barangay (town) to children living just outside of the flooded area. I build on the existing literature by accounting for both incidence and intensity of the typhoon’s flooding in my model. I construct this new flooding measure using programming techniques and ArcGIS by manipulating data collected by the University of Maryland’s Global Flood Monitoring System. This data as well as health data from the 2013 Philippines National Demographic Health Surveys were collected the day after Typhoon Labuyo left the Philippines, providing a unique opportunity to explore the immediate impact of the typhoon on child health. Most of my results are insignificant, but subgroup analyses show that the effect of flooding on waterborne disease incidence is less impactful in the immediate term following a flood and more impactful in the medium-term. This is important, because understanding the detrimental health effects of flooding is of utmost importance, especially because climate change will only increase the frequency and intensity of natural disasters.

Professor Erica M. Field, Faculty Advisor
Professor Michelle P. Connolly, Faculty Advisor

JEL Codes: I150, O120, O130, Q540

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