Unequal Grounds: Sociodemographic Disparities in Displacement following Natural Disasters in the United States

• In Event: Climate Inequities: Health, Migration, and Infrastructure in the Face of Disasters

Abstract

Recent years have seen a rise in the number of Americans displaced due to natural disasters, as climate change intensifies extreme weather patterns. While disasters have been widely studied, there is a lack of scholarly analysis in the United States which examines demographic disparities in disaster displacement and its impacts at the national level. To address this, we analyze data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s PULSE Survey, which captures the experience of displacement due to hurricanes, fires, floods, tornadoes, and other causes among a representative sample of more than 1.2 million U.S. households over a 21-month time frame. Running a series of linear regression models with a full set of controls and fixed effects, we find significant sociodemographic disparities in who is most likely to be displaced, and specifically that Black, LGBTQ, low-income respondents, and those with a disability are displaced at a higher rate. These vulnerable groups are also displaced for a longer period on average, face more adverse consequences during their displacement like losing electricity or facing food and water shortages, and are more likely to never return to their home compared to the overall displaced population. Finally, we find that those who have been displaced report much higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to the overall population mean, and that these effects on mental health are even more severe among vulnerable groups who were displaced. We end with a discussion of the implications of our research for disaster relief policy in the United States, stressing the need to provide targeted assistance and prevention measures towards populations that are most impacted by displacement. In addition, while the overwhelming effort of current disaster aid is immediate relief, we argue for a greater focus on long-term, culturally sensitive relief including mental health services for the more than 3 million of Americans who are displaced every year. 

Author

• Trevor Memmott, University of Massachusetts at Boston
  Presenting Author