Literature Review Examines Barriers to Assistance and Adverse Flood Recovery Outcomes

A new literature review in the journal Frontiers in Water, “Flood Recovery Outcomes and Disaster Assistance Barriers for Vulnerable Populations,” synthesizes research across multiple disciplines regarding barriers to disaster assistance and flood recovery outcomes. The authors, Bradley Wilson, Eric Tate, and Christopher Emrich, find considerable evidence that renters, low-income households, and people of color face the most significant barriers to accessing federal recovery assistance and experience adverse recovery outcomes. Barriers include burdensome application processes, restrictive identification requirements, and a tendency for recovery funds to benefit more affluent communities with higher economic losses. The authors note that limited data availability and a lack of long-term monitoring of outcomes across populations limit the generalizability of findings for much of the research.  Read the literature review at: https://bit.ly/3IYOlMv