Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Going home after Hurricane Katrina: Determinants of return migration and changes in affected areas

  • Published:
Demography

Abstract

This article examines the decision of Hurricane Katrina evacuees to return to their pre-Katrina areas and documents how the composition of the Katrina-affected region changed over time. Using data from the Current Population Survey, we show that an evacuee’s age, family income, and the severity of damage in an evacuee’s county of origin are important determinants of whether an evacuee returned during the first year after the storm. Blacks were less likely to return than whites, but this difference is primarily related to the geographical pattern of storm damage rather than to race per se. The difference between the composition of evacuees who returned and the composition of evacuees who did not return is the primary force behind changes in the composition of the affected areas in the first two years after the storm. Katrina is associated with substantial shifts in the racial composition of the affected areas (namely, a decrease in the percentage of residents who are black) and an increasing presence of Hispanics. Katrina is also associated with an increase in the percentage of older residents, a decrease in the percentage of residents with low income/education, and an increase in the percentage of residents with high income/education.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baker, J., W.D. Shaw, D. Bell, S. Brody, M. Riddel, R.T. Woodward, and W. Neilson. 2009. “Explaining Subjective Risks of Hurricanes and the Role of Risks in Intended Moving and Location Choice Models.”Natural Hazards Review 10: 102–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bolin, R.C. and P.A. Bolton. 1986.Race, Religion and Ethnicity in Disaster Recovery. Boulder: Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolin, R.C. and L. Stanford. 1998.The Northridge Earthquake: Vulnerability and Disaster. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borjas, G.J. 1989. “Economic Theory and International Migration.”International Migration Review 23: 457–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borjas, G.J., S.G. Bronars, and S.J. Trejo. 1992. “Self-selection and Internal Migration in the United States.”Journal of Urban Economics 32: 159–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brookings Institution. 2005. “New Orleans After the Storm: Lessons From the Past, a Plan for the Future.” Report. Brookings Institution, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cahoon, L.S., D.E. Herz, R.C. Ning, A.E. Polivka, M.E. Reed, E.L. Robison, and G.D. Weyland. 2006. “The Current Population Survey Response to Hurricane Katrina.”Monthly Labor Review 129(8): 40–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chamlee-Wright, E. and D.M. Rothschild. 2007. “Disastrous Uncertainty: How Government Disaster Policy Undermines Community Rebound.”Mercatus Policy Series, Policy Comment No. 9. Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Arlington, VA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chamlee-Wright, E. and V.H. Storr. 2009. “‘There’s No Place Like New Orleans’: Sense of Place and Community Recovery in the Ninth Ward After Hurricane Katrina.”Journal of Urban Affairs 30: 615–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cieslak, V. 2005. “Ports in Louisiana: New Orleans, South Louisiana, and Baton Rouge.” CRS Report RS22297. Congressional Research Service, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • DaVanzo, J.S. and P.A. Morrison. 1981. “Return and Other Sequences of Migration in the United States.”Demography 18: 85–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, C. 2006. “The Gulf Coast’s Tourism Comeback: Playing for Even Higher Stakes?”Econ-South 8(3).

  • Elliott, J.R. and J. Pais. 2006. “Race, Class, and Hurricane Katrina: Social Differences in Human Responses to Disaster.”Social Science Research 35: 295–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erikson, K.T. 1976.Everything in Its Path: Destruction of Community in the Buffalo Creek Flood. New York: Simon and Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falk, W.W. 2004.Rooted in Place: Family and Belonging in a Southern Black Community. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falk, W.W., M.O. Hunt, and L.L. Hunt. 2006. “Hurricane Katrina and New Orleanians’ Sense of Place: Return and Reconstitution or ‘Gone With the Wind’?”Du Bois Review 3: 115–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fothergill, A., E.G.M. Maestas, and J.D. Darlington. 1999. “Race, Ethnicity and Disasters in the Untied States: A Review of the Literature.”Disasters 23: 156–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey, W.H., A. Singer, and D. Park. 2007. “Resettling New Orleans: The First Full Picture From the Census.” Report. Brookings Institution, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friesema, H.P., J.A. Caporaso, G. Goldstein, R.L. Lineberry, and R. McCleary. 1979.Aftermath: Communities After Natural Disasters. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fritz, C.E. 1961. “Disasters.” Pp. 651–94 inContemporary Social Problems, edited by R.K. Merton and R.A. Nisbet. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garber, M., L. Unger, J. White, and L. Wohlford. 2006. “Hurricane Katrina’s Effects on Industry Employment and Wages.”Monthly Labor Review 129(8): 22–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gieryn, T. 2000. “A Space for Place in Sociology.”Annual Review of Sociology 26: 463–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Girard, C. and W.G. Peacock. 1997. “Ethnicity and Segregation: Post-Hurricane Relocation.” Pp. 191–205 inHurricane Andrew: Ethnicity, Gender and the Sociology of Disasters, edited by W.G. Peacock, B.H. Morrow, and H. Gladwin. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gladwin, H. and W.G. Peacock. 1997. “Warning and Evacuation: A Night for Hard Houses.” Pp. 52–72 inHurricane Andrew: Ethnicity, Gender and the Sociology of Disasters, edited by W.G. Peacock, B.H. Morrow, and H. Gladwin. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenwood, M.J. 1975. “Research on Internal Migration in the United States: A Survey.”Journal of Economic Literature 13: 397–433.

    Google Scholar 

  • —. 1985. “Human Migration: Theory, Models, and Empirical Studies.”Journal of Regional Science 25: 521–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groen, J.A. and A.E. Polivka. 2008a. “The Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the Labor Market Outcomes of Evacuees.”American Economic Review 98(2): 43–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • —. 2008b. “Hurricane Katrina Evacuees: Who They Are, Where They Are, and How They Are Faring.”Monthly Labor Review 131(3): 32–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • —. 2009. “Going Home after Hurricane Katrina: Determinants of Return Migration and Changes in Affected Areas.” BLS Working Paper 428. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haney, T.J., J.R. Elliott, and E. Fussell. 2007. “Families and Hurricane Response: Evacuation, Separation, and the Emotional Toll of Hurricane Katrina.” Pp. 71–90 inThe Sociology of Katrina: Perspectives on a Modern Catastrophe, edited by D.L. Brunsma, D. Overfelt, and J.S. Picou. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hummon, D.M. 1990.Commonplaces: Community Ideology and Identity in American Culture. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knabb, R.D., J.R. Rhome, and D.P. Brown. 2005. “Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Katrina.” National Hurricane Center, Miami, FL. December 20. Updated August 10, 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kreps, G.A. 1984. “Sociological Inquiry and Disaster Research.”Annual Review of Sociology 10: 309–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landry, C.E., O. Bin, P. Hindsley, J.C. Whitehead, and K. Wilson. 2007. “Going Home: Evacuation-Migration Decisions of Hurricane Katrina Survivors.”Southern Economic Journal 74: 326–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, A., M. Fellowes, and M. Mabanta. 2006. “Katrina Index: Tracking Variables of Post-Katrina Recovery.” Report. Brookings Institution, Washington, DC. August 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, A. and A. Plyer. 2008. “The New Orleans Index: Tracking Recovery of New Orleans and the Metro Area.” Report. Greater New Orleans Community Data Center in collaboration with the Brookings Institution, New Orleans and Washington, DC. August.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norcross, E. and A. Skriba. 2008. “The Road Home: Helping Homeowners in the Gulf After Katrina.”Mercatus Policy Series, Policy Comment No. 19. Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Arlington, VA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oberman, M. 2006. “New Orleans Tourism Lags a Year After Katrina.” Agence France-Presse. August 23.

  • Pais, J.F. and J.R. Elliott. 2008. “Places as Recovery Machines: Vulnerability and Neighborhood Change After Major Hurricanes.”Social Forces 86: 1415–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paxson, C. and C.E. Rouse. 2008. “Returning to New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina.”American Economic Review 98(2): 38–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peacock, W.G. and C. Girard. 1997. “Ethnic and Racial Inequalities in Hurricane Damage and Insurance Settlements.” Pp. 171–90 inHurricane Andrew: Ethnicity, Gender and the Sociology of Disasters, edited by W.G. Peacock, B.H. Morrow, and H. Gladwin. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peacock, W.G., B.H. Morrow, and H. Gladwin. 1997.Hurricane Andrew: Ethnicity, Gender and the Sociology of Disasters. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry, R.W., M.K. Lindell, and M. Green. 1981.Evacuation Planning and Emergency Management. Lexington, MA: Heath.

    Google Scholar 

  • Picou, J.S. and B.K. Marshall. 2007. “Katrina as Paradigm Shift: Reflections on Disaster Research in the Twenty-First Century.” Pp. 1–20 inThe Sociology of Katrina: Perspectives on a Modern Catastrophe, edited by D.L. Brunsma, D. Overfelt, and J.S. Picou. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quarantelli, E.L. and R.R. Dynes. 1977. “Response to Social Crisis and Disaster.”Annual Review of Sociology 3: 23–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roback, J. 1982. “Wages, Rents, and the Quality of Life.”Journal of Political Economy 90: 1257–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sastry, N. 2009. “Tracing the Effects of Hurricane Katrina on the Population of New Orleans: The Displaced New Orleans Residents Pilot Study.”Sociological Methods and Research 38: 171–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sjaastad, L.A. 1962. “The Costs and Returns of Human Migration.”Journal of Political Economy 70(5, part 2): 80–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S.K. and C. McCarty. 2009. “Fleeing the Storm(s): An Examination of Evacuation Behavior During Florida’s 2004 Hurricane Season.”Demography 46: 127–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 2006. “Current Housing Unit Damage Estimates: Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.” Report. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vigdor, J. 2008. “The Economic Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.”Journal of Economic Perspectives 22(4): 135–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The White House. 2006. “The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned.” Report. The White House, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, J.D., P.H. Rossi, and S.R. Wright. 1979.After the Clean-Up: Long Range Effects of Natural Disasters. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Suite 4945, 20212, Washington, DC

    Jeffrey A. Groen & Anne E. Polivka

Authors
  1. Jeffrey A. Groen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anne E. Polivka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeffrey A. Groen.

Additional information

A longer version of this article is available as BLS Working Paper 428.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Groen, J.A., Polivka, A.E. Going home after Hurricane Katrina: Determinants of return migration and changes in affected areas. Demography 47, 821–844 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03214587

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03214587

Keywords

Search

Navigation