Abstract
This paper empirically examines the economic impacts of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017 and the role of federal aid in the recovery process. Data from 90 disaster counties in Texas and Florida reveal a strong relationship between direct economic damages and localized measures of storm intensity. The impact of the storms on local unemployment and employment dissipated within one year. Along with individual communities’ inherent resilience capacity, federal policy responses to economic losses played a role in supporting local recovery across the two disaster regions. Regressions with spatial effects show that following a hurricane strike, employment and wages moved in the opposite directions between a disaster county and its neighboring counties.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
