10.6a The Case of Hurricane Harvey

Sociologists use various methodological tools ranging from surveys to fieldwork observations to understand the contextual factors that lead people to take a particular line of action, such as living in a neighborhood predisposed to flooding. For example, Fitzpatrick and Spialek (2020) interviewed the survivors of Hurricane Harvey to understand how “place and race intersect in response to and recovery from a natural disaster” (p. 8).

Hurricane Harvey occurred in 2017 along the Texas Gulf Coast. The hurricane stalled over Houston, Texas, dumping record-breaking amounts of rain ranging from 10 to 50 inches, which led to catastrophic flooding (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2024b). The storm “displaced more than 30,000 people, damaged or destroyed more than 200,000 homes or businesses, and prompted more than 17,000 rescues,” and killed 89 people (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2024a). The researchers found that neighborhoods that experienced more significant flooding were “predominantly occupied by black, Hispanic, and low-income residents” (Fitzpatrick & Spialek, 2020, p. 11), which meant the extreme flooding from Hurricane Harvey disproportionately affected groups with fewer resources.

Photo 10.19

People Pushing a Car Through Flooded Streets Caused by Hurricane Harvey

Whether hurricane survivors would stay or move depended on whether they were renters or homeowners. Moreover, social class and race also mattered. Fitzpatrick and Spialek (2020) found that renters were more willing to move. In contrast, homeowners with mortgages were financially more tied to their homes. Whether they could move depended on how much they still owed on their mortgage and whether they needed an insurance payout to survive financially. Other researchers found that residents in wealthier neighborhoods, neighborhoods with more White residents, or both, moved to homes closer to where they originally lived (Elliot et al., 2023). The case of Hurricane Harvey illustrates how structural conditions influence the outcomes of individuals and families affected by the climate crisis.

The U.S. government has several federal programs to purchase (or buyout) properties affected by climate change to help people move to more resilient areas. Buyout programs allow property owners to sell their property to the government at pre-storm fair market value, with the stipulation that the land is not developed. These programs, however, are for property owners, not renters. Renters have fewer options for moving compared to property owners. Moreover, pre-storm fair-market value for a home is often insufficient for people to buy new homes that are still near their work and to manage other moving expenses, such as time off work.

The buyout programs also have limited budgets. As a result, buying out low-income rather than wealthier neighborhoods is more cost-effective (Bittle, 2024). Further, affluent homeowners are more often able to hire lawyers to fight off potential buyouts. As a result, governments may build seawalls to protect wealthier coastal communities while lower-income households are bought out and displaced(Siders & Keenan, 2020).