RAPID: Capital, Coping, and the Displaced: Health, Well-Being, and Resiliency Among Hurricane Harvey Evacuees

University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville AR

Investigators

Abstract

This project will investigate the role of social ties/resources in helping citizens recover from Hurricane Harvey. Social ties/resources in neighborhoods, at work, through religious organizations and through other social groups are vital for helping individuals and families navigate their daily lives. But when disaster strikes, these resources can be disrupted. Given the magnitude and duration of Hurricane Harvey, many citizens in the Houston area have experienced severe disruption to these social resources, but some have been more affected than others. This research will study how social resources are used by people affected by Harvey, and whether they can create new social resources to assist in recovering from the disaster when old ties are broken. It will also help to determine whose social resources have been most adversely affected. For example, is the loss of social resources more acute for lower compared with upper income people, or for racial minorities compared to non-minorities? The research will also determine whether social resources in neighborhoods, for example, have suffered more damage than those involving groups that cross geographic places, such as churches and work groups. The project will investigate several aspects of citizen well-being, including nature and extent of social ties/resources, anxiety, depression, adaptation and resiliency. This project will develop a sampling frame that covers several of the hardest-hit counties in the Houston and Corpus Christi areas, and will survey 300 people using in-depth, 40 minute interviews. It will sample people who relocated easily as well as those who had more difficulty. In addition, approximately half of the sample will come from citizens located in shelters, churches, and other service provider locations, and the other approximate half from citizens who relocated to non-shelter locations including doubling up with friends and relatives. This sampling strategy will result in considerable variation in strength of social ties, depth of social resources, as well as differences in social background characteristics. The survey instrument is well developed and relies on several measures with proven records of producing reliable results. In addition, the 300 interviews will form a data base that the project will analyze quantitatively, thus enabling use of well-established statistical tools to evaluate key hypotheses. The project is an excellent candidate for RAPID funding because social ties and social resources began to unravel even before the storm hit since some could easily evacuate to safety as others remained because of a wide array of physical, social, and economic burdens. Now, in the aftermath, social resources continue to be fluid, with some strengthening and others deteriorating. The study will provide a baseline for evaluating dynamic changes in these resources, and address key questions in social science regarding the patterns of how social ties/resources develop and decay in the midst of natural disaster. Finally, gathering indicators of well-being, along with assessing their impact provides valuable information to organizations directly and indirectly engaged in disaster preparedness and response. It should not only help us better understand how the victims of Harvey are currently coping, but provide information as to how we as a society are addressing the needs of these victims, thus demonstrating the breadth and wealth of America's social ties/resources, as well its major deficiencies.