Housing type matters for pace of recovery: Evidence from Hurricane Ike

Abstract

Rapid and broad-based housing recovery is key to successful, resilient community recovery, due to the significant share of housing in disaster losses, population retention, and its importance for household and business recovery. In the literature, there is relative consensus on how housing damage is shaped by pre-impact conditions at household and neighborhood levels. However, systematic longitudinal studies that compare the recovery trajectories of different types of housing are rare. Here, we examine long-term recovery trajectories after Hurricane Ike (2008) in Galveston, Texas using parcel level data for multifamily, single-family, and duplexes over an eight-year period. Overall, we found that recovery trajectories differed significantly across housing types. Multifamily housing and duplex homes recover more slowly compared to single-family houses after controlling for damage and socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods. These findings substantiate conclusions of previous research and call for disaster recovery assistance programs targeting recovery disparities among residential types to better ensure broad-based housing recovery.