Social costs of displacement in Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Abstract

Hundreds of thousands of Louisiana citizens were displaced from their homes as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Of those displaced within Louisiana some relocated to other parishes, some to other residences within the same parish, and others were able to return to their pre-storm residence. This article draws upon data gathered by the 2006 Louisiana Health and Population Survey to examine the social costs of displacement across 18 Louisiana parishes approximately 1 year after the hurricanes. Specifically, we examine how displacement affected housing, economic, and health outcomes for individuals and families. Further, we compare the implications of two types of displacement (1) internal displacement-within-parish relocation versus (2) external displacement-relocation across parish lines. We found that the displaced had lower odds of owning their homes, living in detached housing, and retaining access to primary health care facilities. The displaced were also more likely to be unemployed and exhibit symptoms consistent with severe mental illness. The externally displaced suffered income declines. These trends are critically important for understanding both the short-and long-term ramifications of displacement after disaster. Our findings have implications for theories, policy makers, and planners considering the larger social costs of disaster and large-scale displacement.

The Devil Is in the Details: Linking Home Buyout Policy, Practice, and Experience After Hurricane Sandy

“…While few studies have examined the risks of buyout programs specifically, previous studies have found displacement to be associated with a range of social costs including losses in homeownership, social networks, access to healthcare, employment, income, and physical and mental health (Blaze & Shwalb, 2009;Hori & Schafer, 2009;Mortensen, Wilson, & Ho, 2009;Riad & Norris, 1996;Sanders, Bowie, & Bowie, 2003;Weber & Peek, 2012). These risks may be exacerbated for individuals and households who relocate permanently as compared to temporarily (Badri, Asgary, Eftekhari, & Levy, 2006;Blaze & Shwalb, 2009;Milne, 1977;Yzermans et al, 2005), for those who relocate outside their original community (Hori & Schafer, 2009;Kessler et al, 2008), and for those who experience ecological stress (e.g. food shortages, overcrowding) while displaced and in the relocation process (Riad & Norris, 1996).…”

Rebuild or Relocate? Resilience and Postdisaster Decision‐Making After Hurricane Sandy

“…The limited number of existing studies that have examined the mid-and long-term impacts of postdisaster relocation have indicated that the relocation process may expose disaster victims to a broad array of challenges, including psychological distress (Blaze and Shwalb 2009), medically unexplained physical symptoms (Yzermans et al 2005), economic hardship (Hori and Schafer 2009), and disruptions in social networks (Sanders et al 2003). These effects appear to be influenced by the duration (Blaze and Shwalb 2009;Yzermans et al 2005), distance (Hori and Schafer 2009;Kessler et al 2008), and context (Riad and Norris 1996) of the relocation.…”

Understanding the demographic implications of climate change: estimates of localized population predictions under future scenarios of sea-level rise

“…These places need to be prepared for dramatic and rapid population change in terms of the size of the population, the sociodemographic composition of the new population, and the associated effects on vulnerability. Although recent research demonstrates that ''environmental calamities'' such as Katrina have not had as broad of an impact on human migration as other environmental factors (including amenities) within an historical context (Gutmann and Field 2010), the immediate effect on the human population is undeniable and far from inconsequential for population dislocation and its social and economic implications (e.g., Hori and Schafer 2009).…”