Vulnerability characteristics of the Huaihe River floods are analyzed based on the historical disaster data to represent the vulnerability of hazard bearing body.The impact factors for the flood vulnerability are investigated by means of the gray relational analysis method for the inversion of food vulnerability indices. Results show that(1)the vulnerability of flood disasters in the Huaihe River basin decreases from the stem river to both sides. There is also a south to north decreasing trend in the whole basin. (2)The GDP per capi-ta

annual precipitation and the density of population in the basin have a significant correlation with the vul-nerability of flood disasters. (3)Waterlogging control area and flood control area are weakly correlated with the flood vulnerability.The study may provide a scientific basis of policy making and adjustment for regional disaster mitigation.