Disasters, Displacement, and Housing Instability: Estimating Time to Stable Housing 13 Years after Hurricane Katrina

Alexis A. Merdjanoff, David M. Abramson, Yoon Soon Park, Rachael Piltch-Loeb

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Catastrophic disasters disrupt the structural and social aspects of housing, which can lead to varying lengths of displacement and housing instability for affected residents. Stable housing is a critical aspect of postdisaster recovery, which makes it important to understand how much time passes before displaced residents are able to find stable housing. Using the Gulf Coast Child and Family Health Study, a longitudinal cohort of Mississippi and Louisiana residents exposed to Hurricane Katrina (n = 1079), we describe patterns of stable housing by identifying protective and prohibitive factors that affect time to stable housing in the 13 years following the storm. Survival analyses reveal that median time to stable housing was 1082 days-over 3 years after Katrina. Age, housing tenure, marital status, income, and social support each independently affected time to stable housing. Findings suggest that postdisaster housing instability is similar to other forms of housing instability, including eviction, frequent moves, and homelessness.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)535-550
Number of pages16
JournalWeather, Climate, and Society
Volume14
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2022

Keywords

  • North America
  • Social Science
  • Statistics
  • Vulnerability

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Global and Planetary Change
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Atmospheric Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Disasters, Displacement, and Housing Instability: Estimating Time to Stable Housing 13 Years after Hurricane Katrina'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this