Vulnerability of Renters and Low-Income Households to Storm Damage

Evidence From Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico

Bibliographic Data

ID11028240
AuthorsChenyi Ma (0000-0003-1051-9538, Chenyi Ma is with the School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Tony Smith is with the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania.), Tony Smith (0000-0001-6420-8183, Chenyi Ma is with the School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Tony Smith is with the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania.)
Year2020
Volume110
Issue2
Pages196-202
Publication date2020-02-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2019.305438
PMID31855476
OpenAlexW2996343897
LanguageEN
Citations received25
References cited13

Objectives. To identify disparities in home damage from Hurricane Maria among Puerto Rican households with different housing tenure and income levels. Methods. Using household inspection data obtained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including an ordinal damage severity measure, we used generalized ordered logistic regression to estimate the relative risks of damage severities between renters and homeowners, and between households with different incomes. Results. With respect to the FEMA damage-severity classifications of “minor,” “major,” and “destroyed,” renters were more at risk than homeowners for both “major-or-destroyed” and “destroyed” outcomes. Similarly, lower-income households were at greater risk for both “major-or-destroyed” and “destroyed” outcomes. When we allowed for an interaction between income and housing tenure, the difference in risk of “destroyed” outcomes between renters and homeowners was substantially greater at lower income levels. Conclusions. These results provide evidence at the individual household level that renters and lower-income households are most vulnerable to hurricane damage. Our interaction results suggest that lower-income renters are particularly vulnerable to severe home damage. Public Health Implications. Disaster preparedness policies should raise structural standards for low-income housing to reduce risks of severe damage

Computer security · Environmental health · Geography · Hurricane katrina · Low income · Meteorology · Natural disaster · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Storm · Vulnerability (computing) · Agricultural risk and resilience · Disaster Management and Resilience · Flood Risk Assessment and Management · Medicine

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