Exposure to Hurricane Harvey flooding for subsidized housing residents of Harris County, Texas

Abstract

This article contributes to research on social vulnerability to natural hazards by analyzing the relationship between spatial patterns of flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey and subsidized rental housing residents. Our study area is Harris County, the most populous county in Texas, which includes the city of Houston and was severely impacted by Harvey-induced flooding. We sought to determine whether: (1) federally subsidized housing units and residents were disproportionately located in areas with greater flood extent and (2) areal extent of flooding around subsidized housing developments was greater for developments where higher proportions of socially vulnerable households reside. We integrated information from the US Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Harvey flood depths grid with US Department of Housing and Urban Development data on relevant rental assistance programs. Results from multivariable generalized estimating equations indicated significantly higher percentages of subsidized housing units and residents in neighborhoods with greater flood extent, after accounting for pertinent spatial and social factors. We also found subsidized housing developments with more extensive flooding nearby to contain significantly higher percentages of extremely low income, female-headed and older (62 + years) households. Findings have important implications for future research and policy, since these socio-spatial inequalities are likely to be reproduced through climate change-related disasters projected to affect many cities within and outside Texas.