TY - JOUR PY - 2017// TI - Weather-related hazards and population change: a study of hurricanes and tropical storms in the United States, 1980-2012 JO - Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science A1 - Fussell, Elizabeth A1 - Curran, Sara R. A1 - Dunbar, Matthew D. A1 - Babb, Michael A. A1 - Thompson, Luanne A1 - Meijer-Irons, Jacqueline SP - 146 EP - 167 VL - 669 IS - 1 N2 - Environmental determinists predict that people move away from places experiencing frequent weather hazards, yet some of these areas have rapidly growing populations. This analysis examines the relationship between weather events and population change in all U.S. counties that experienced hurricanes and tropical storms between 1980 and 2012. Our database allows for more generalizable conclusions by accounting for heterogeneity in current and past hurricane events and losses and past population trends. We find that hurricanes and tropical storms affect future population growth only in counties with growing, high-density populations, which are only 2 percent of all counties. In those counties, current year hurricane events and related losses suppress future population growth, although cumulative hurricane-related losses actually elevate population growth. Low-density counties and counties with stable or declining populations experience no effect of these weather events. Our analysis provides a methodologically informed explanation for contradictory findings in prior studies.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0002-7162 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0002716216682942 ID - ref1 ER -