The impact of Hurricane Harvey on Houston households: Comparing pre-event preparedness with post-event experiences

• In Event: 1544 - Disasters

Abstract

Most studies in the disasters literature have relied on convenience sampling and ‘after only’ designs to assess impacts, which are limitations this paper addresses. Focused on Hurricane Harvey and leveraging a pre-/post-event sample of Greater Houston households (n=71), this paper establishes baselines for disaster preparedness and home structure flood hazard mitigation; reports on household-level impacts; and examines how preparedness and mitigation relate to post-Harvey health effects, event exposures, and recovery. 70-80% of households took preparedness measures. Mitigation actions varied with 6% having interior drainage systems and 83% having elevated indoor heating/cooling components. 60% reported home damage. Half reported allergies and two-thirds indicated some level of post-traumatic stress. Three-quarters worried about family members/friends. Results from generalized linear models revealed that greater pre-event mitigation was associated with fewer physical health problems and adverse experiences, lower post-traumatic stress, and faster recovery. The pre-/post-design allowed us to discern broad benefits of home structure flood hazard mitigation on post-Harvey experiences.

Authors

• Sara Elizabeth Grineski, University of Utah

• Aaron Flores, University of Utah

• Timothy William Collins, University of Utah

• Jayajit Chakraborty, University of Texas at El Paso