A recent article in the American Journal of Public Health, “Prevalence, Correlates, and Impacts of Displacement Because of Natural Disasters in the United States From 2022 to 2023,” investigates the patterns of displacement following natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and tornadoes and the characteristics of displaced households. The authors estimate that more than 3 million adults were displaced by such disasters between 2022 and 2023. Individuals who identified as people of color, sexual minorities, or gender minorities, as well as those with lower incomes, disabilities, or who were experiencing socioeconomic disadvantages like food insecurity, were more likely to be displaced because of disasters. The findings align with and expand upon prior research that was solely focused on examining the relationship between disasters and more commonly examined demographic characteristics, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, and household income.
The authors utilized data from 10 data collection periods of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (HPS), a recurring survey taken online by adults in select households who are contacted via text message and email. The survey includes questions about displacement due to natural disasters that have occurred in the past year, specifically asking affected households about the duration of their displacement, the level of damage to their residence, the types of disasters they faced, and whether they faced multiple disasters within the past year. Households were also asked about any immediate impacts experienced within one month after the disaster, such as food and water shortages, loss of electricity, unsanitary living conditions, feelings of isolation, fear of crime, and potential scams related to disaster relief. The 10 data collection periods were carried out between December 2022 and September 2023 and, after deduplication, resulted in a sample of more than 213 million surveys to analyze. Because these kinds of disasters tend to occur in specific regions of the country, the data was weighted to account for geographic clustering and to create nationally representative estimates.
The authors first constructed statistical models to analyze the relationship between displacement by disasters and sociodemographic characteristics that may serve as predictors of increased risk of displacement. They examined both predictors that have been previously studied – such as sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, education, and household income – as well as less-studied characteristics such as household size and type, homeowner/renter status, functional disability status, and pre-existing socioeconomic disadvantages like food insecurity or being behind on rent/mortgage payments. Next, the authors examined the relationship between disaster-related impacts, demographic characteristics, and the specific type of disaster that was faced.
The authors estimated that more than 3 million adults were displaced because of disasters in the year prior to the data collection period. Those displaced were more likely to be people of color, members of sexual and gender minorities, have lower incomes, have disabilities, and report experiencing socioeconomic disadvantages. The negative effects of disasters – such as shortages of food and water, loss of electricity, unsanitary conditions, feelings of isolation, and vulnerability to scams – were reported to have occurred more frequently among people of color and those with lower educational or income levels. They also found that these negative impacts were more prevalent among those who experienced multiple disasters in the prior year relative to those who experienced only one disaster. Additionally, their results indicated that long-term displacement, defined as being displaced for six months or more, was more prevalent after fires than after other types of disasters. Although these findings are drawn from a large, nationally representative sample, the authors acknowledged that the web-based and self-reported nature of the HPS may exclude those who are most socially vulnerable, particularly those with limited access to internet, email, computers, or smart devices, as well as those with visual limitations or limited proficiency in English or Spanish (the two languages in which the HPS is conducted).
The authors suggest that their findings provide important insights for policymakers on how to better allocate resources for disaster preparedness and response efforts to target communities at greatest risk of prolonged or severe negative impacts following disasters. Additionally, they recommend that further research focus future pre- and post-disaster studies on higher-risk population subgroups to better understand how pre-existing structural inequities and racism impact disaster resilience and recovery.
The article can be found at: https://bit.ly/4f3R4Uv