Examining impacts of Hurricane Katrina on southern Louisiana and Hurricane Floyd on eastern NC (2012)

Undergraduate: Cam Horne

Faculty Advisor: Kyle Crowder
Department: Geography

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Natural disasters have profound impacts on the lives of the affected, as the size and composition of an entire area can be changed in a very short time span. Studies and analyses have examined impacts on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of populations at an individual level, as well as at zip code or census tract level. This study utilized 1990 and 2000 data from the Neighborhood Change Database, along with 2005-2009 American Community Survey data, to assess the impacts Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Floyd have had on selected census tracts. Subsequent recovery of neighborhoods in the following years was examined in order to shed light on racial and socioeconomic disparities. Demographic characteristics (e.g., population size, age composition, racial composition) and socioeconomic characteristics (e.g., average household income, employment rate, educational attainment) were assessed to test the theoretical argument that neighborhoods with higher minority populations and a lower socioeconomic status are more susceptible to the impacts of natural disasters, are less likely to recover, and will exhibit lasting changes. This study contributes to the current literature by offering an up-to-date analysis on change and recovery of the affected neighborhoods. Implications may be drawn for other issues such as patterns of residential segregation, governmental policies, and disparities in exposure to pollution based on the nature and degree of change and recovery.