Aftermath Of Hurricane Research Articles

Risk and protective factors associated with substance use among Puerto Rican youths after Hurricane María: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundIdentifying factors associated with post-disaster youth substance use is a crucial element of developing evidence-based prevention and intervention efforts. Hurricane María struck Puerto Rico in September of 2017 and the wide-spread impact from this disaster, including exposure to trauma, displacement, and disrupted social supports had the potential to negatively impact levels of substance use among youth across the archipelago. However, post-disaster substance use remains under-investigated in this context. The current study sought to identify risk and protective factors associated with substance use among Puerto Rican youth in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.MethodsCross-sectional, secondary data analyses were conducted using school-based survey data collected at all schools in Puerto Rico between February 1 and June 29, 2018 (5–9 months after Hurricane María). Social supports, substance use, and trauma symptoms were assessed. An ordinal regression analysis was conducted to identify student factors associated with greater likelihood of post-disaster substance use.ResultsA total of 36,485 participants (50.7% female, grades 7–12), were included in an ordinal regression analysis that compared the likelihood of respondents endorsing high, low, or no substance use after Hurricane María based on reported adult social support, counselor/teacher social support, peer social support, ptsd symptomatology, and gender. Findings showed that, when compared to students that endorsed low or no substance use, those who reported having adult social support demonstrated a 58% reduction in odds (OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.34-0.53) of reporting high substance use after Hurricane María, while students who reported having teacher/counselor social support demonstrated a 21% reduction in odds (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.69-0.89) of reporting high substance use. Additionally, those that reported having peer social support demonstrated a 31% increase in odds (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.58) of reporting higher substance use, compared to those that reported low or no substance use.ConclusionsWhile social support was generally protective, prevention efforts to build positive family and community connections may be indicated. Evidence-based school screenings of substance use and trauma may help direct intervention to those most at risk for co-occurring issues.

A digital twin framework for efficient electric power restoration and resilient recovery in the aftermath of hurricanes considering the interdependencies with road network and essential facilities

The community's resilience in the face of natural hazards relies heavily on the rapid and efficient restoration of electric power networks, which plays a critical role in emergency response, economic recovery, and the functionality of essential lifeline and social infrastructure systems. Leveraging the recent data revolution, the digital twin (DT) concept emerges as a promising tool to enhance the effectiveness of post-disaster recovery efforts. This paper introduces a novel framework for post-hurricane electric power restoration using a hybrid DT approach that combines physics-based and data-driven models by utilizing a dynamic Bayesian network. By capturing the complexities of power system dynamics and incorporating the road network's influence, the framework offers a comprehensive methodology to guide real-time power restoration efforts in post-disaster scenarios. A discrete event simulation is conducted to demonstrate the proposed framework's efficacy. The study showcases how the electric power restoration DT can be monitored and updated in real-time, reflecting changing conditions and facilitating adaptive decision-making. Furthermore, it demonstrates the framework's flexibility to allow decision-makers to prioritize essential, residential, and business facilities and compare different restoration plans and their potential effect on the community.

Treatment Interruptions and Mortality Among Puerto Rican Women With Gynecologic Cancers in Puerto Rico After Hurricanes Irma and María: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Cancer patients are among the most vulnerable populations during and after a disaster. We evaluated the impact of treatment interruption on the survival of women with gynecologic cancer in Puerto Rico following Hurricanes Irma and María. A retrospective cohort study among a clinic-based sample of women with gynecological cancer diagnosed between January 2016 and September 2017 (n = 112) was done. Women were followed from their diagnosis until December 2019, to assess vital status. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards models were performed. Mean age was 56 (± 12.3) years; corpus uteri (58.9%) was the most common gynecologic cancer. Predominant treatments were surgery (91.1%) and chemotherapy (44.6%). Overall, 75.9% were receiving treatment before the hurricanes, 16.1% experienced treatment interruptions, and 8.9% died during the follow-up period. Factors associated with treatment interruption in bivariate analysis included younger age (≤55 years), having regional/distant disease, and receiving > 1 cancer treatment (P < 0.05). Crude analysis revealed an increased risk of death among women with treatment interruption (HR: 3.88, 95% CI: 1.09-13.77), persisting after adjusting for age and cancer stage (HR: 2.49, 95% CI: 0.69-9.01). Findings underscore the detrimental impact of treatment interruption on cancer survival in the aftermath of hurricanes, emphasizing the need for emergency response plans for this vulnerable population.

Data-Driven Assessment of the Impact of Hurricanes Ian and Nicole: Natural and Armored Dunes in the Aftermath of Hurricanes on Florida’s Central East Coast

Hurricanes Ian and Nicole caused devastating destruction across Florida in September and November 2022, leaving widespread damage in their wakes. This study focuses on the assessment of barrier islands’ shorelines, encompassing natural sand dunes and dune vegetation as well as armored dunes with man-made infrastructure such as seawalls. High-resolution satellite imagery from Planet was used to assess the impacts of these hurricanes on the beach shorelines of Volusia, Flagler, and St. Johns Counties on the Florida Central East Coast. Shorefront vegetation was classified into two classes. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values were calculated before the hurricanes, one month after Hurricane Ian, one month after Hurricane Nicole, and one-year post landfall. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) was incorporated to calculate vertical changes in the shorelines before and after the hurricanes. The results suggest that natural sand dunes were more resilient as they experienced less impact to vegetation and elevation and more substantial recovery than armored dunes. Moreover, the close timeframe of the storm events suggests a compound effect on the weakened dune systems. This study highlights the importance of understanding natural dune resilience to facilitate future adaptive management efforts because armored dunes may have long-term detrimental effects on hurricane-prone barrier islands.

Abstract C016: Evaluating the impact of major events on colorectal cancer incidence in Puerto Rico: An interrupted time-series analysis

Abstract Background: In recent years, Puerto Rico (PR) has faced unprecedented events, disrupting the health system. In September 2017, a Category 5 Hurricane Maria hit PR just two weeks after Hurricane Irma, resulting in severe damage to healthcare facilities and infrastructure. Subsequently, in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, further interrupting healthcare services. Cancer patients handled numerous challenges during and after these major events. Also, the patterns of cancer in PR reflect underlying risk factors, disparities in healthcare access, and overall infrastructure limitations. Despite being highly preventable, colorectal cancer (CRC) remains one of the most incident and deadliest types of cancer in PR. This study aims to evaluate the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, as well as the lockdown measures imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of CRC in PR. Methods: The source of information for this study was the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry (PRCCR) database. An interrupted time-series analysis (ITSA) design was used to compare monthly CRC diagnoses during the following four periods: 1) before the interruption of hurricanes Irma and Maria (January 2015 to August 2017), 2) during hurricanes and post hurricanes recovery (September 2017 to March 2018), 3) before the interruption of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2018 to March 2020), and 4) during the pandemic restrictions (April 2020 to December 2020). We used ordinary least squares regression models with Newey-West standard errors to adjust for autocorrelation., In addition, The Cumby-Huizinga general test was used to assess for possible autocorrelation. Results: CRC monthly percent change (MPC) remained steady during the first period (95% CI= -0.006, 0.005, p-value=0.730). In the interruption of the hurricanes (September 2017), there appeared to be a significant decrease of 52.29% CRC cases (95% CI= -0.690, -0.356, p-value&amp;lt;0.001), followed by a significant increase in the second period of a MPC of 10.71. Regarding the third period, the MPC declined by 11.38 (95% CI= -0.164, -0.064, p-value&amp;lt;0.001). In the interruption of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020), a decrease of 34.94% cases was observed (95% CI= -0.891, 0.193, p-value=0.202), followed by an increase in the MPC of 6.37 during the fourth period. Conclusion: This study provides a first time description of the impact of two major interruptions in the PR health system infrastructure, specifically on CRC diagnoses. Our analyses confirm a change in level and trend caused by the hurricane's aftermath and the COVID-19 restrictions. More research is needed to better understand the potential factors associated with the decrease of the CRC MPC after post-hurricane recovery (third period), such as migration and changes in health system capacity. Citation Format: Samantha Verganza, Carlos R. Torres-Cintrón, Axel Gierbolini-Bermúdez, Tonatiuh Suárez-Ramos, Guillermo Tortolero-Luna, Karen J. Ortiz-Ortiz. Evaluating the impact of major events on colorectal cancer incidence in Puerto Rico: An interrupted time-series analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr C016.

Water Sharing as Disaster Response: Coping With Water Insecurity After Hurricane MarÍa

In 2017, Hurricane María left more than a third of Puerto Rican households without water services. Cascading failures—including the simultaneous collapse of water, electricity, and transportation sectors—presented serious challenges to the timely restoration of governmental services. In response, families across Puerto Rico adopted self-organized coping strategies to obtain the basic resources they needed, including safe and sufficient water. Drawing on the fast-growing literature on household water sharing, we examine how Puerto Rican families shared water as a response to disaster. Using participant-observation data, interviews, and social network data, we studied water-sharing networks in three municipalities—urban, peri-urban, and rural—in western Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane María. We found that extensive water sharing (in 85% of households) spontaneously emerged in the wake of disaster, in previously water-secure rural, peri-urban, and urban communities. Households relied primarily on kin and neighbors, and women had more extensive sharing networks than men. Water-sharing arrangements were typically a form of generalized reciprocity, with little expectation of direct payback. We conclude that water-sharing networks are an important—but understudied and underutilized—component of disaster response. Our research indicates that water sharing should be more explicitly planned for and included in disaster preparedness plans. If water sharing is the dominant approach for coping with disaster-induced water insecurity, we argue, it must be at the core of disaster response.

Assessment of pathogens in flood waters in coastal rural regions: Case study after Hurricane Michael and Florence.

The severity of hurricanes, and thus the associated impacts, is changing over time. One of the understudied threats from damage caused by hurricanes is the potential for cross-contamination of water bodies with pathogens in coastal agricultural regions. Using microbiological data collected after hurricanes Florence and Michael, this study shows a dichotomy in the presence of pathogens in coastal North Carolina and Florida. Salmonella typhimurium was abundant in water samples collected in the regions dominated by swine farms. A drastic decrease in Enterococcus spp. in Carolinas is indicative of pathogen removal with flooding waters. Except for the abundance presence of Salmonella typhimurium, no significant changes in pathogens were observed after Hurricane Michael in the Florida panhandle. We argue that a comprehensive assessment of pathogens must be included in decision-making activities in the immediate aftermath of hurricanes to build resilience against risks of pathogenic exposure in rural agricultural and human populations in vulnerable locations.

REIT capital structure strategy in the aftermath of hurricanes

This paper studies the causal impacts of hurricanes on capital structure. The sample covers 181 US public equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) throughout 2011–2018, during which 8 catastrophic hurricanes made landfalls in the contiguous US. This study finds that a basis point (0.01%) increment in REIT sudden exposure to hurricanes leads to a negative liquidity shock of 15.3% in corporate cash. Such shock is immediately followed by a 26.4% increase in leverage, measured as total debt over total assets. The effects are temporary, lasting only one quarter during the shock. REIT reactions to hurricanes are consistent with the pecking order theory of capital structure. Overall, hurricane ramifications to REIT capital structure strategy can be as impactful as any distress event that alters corporate liquidity and ability to maintain its daily operation.

Local public finance dynamics and hurricane shocks

Since 1980, over 2,000 local governments in US Atlantic states have been hit by a hurricane. We study local government fiscal dynamics in the aftermath of hurricanes. These shocks reduce tax revenues, public expenditures, and debt financing in the decade following a hurricane. Hurricanes create collateral fiscal damage for local governments by increasing the cost of debt at critical moments after a strike. Municipalities with a 1 standard deviation-above-average racial minority composition suffer expenditure losses more than 2 times larger and debt default risk 8 times larger than the average municipalities in the decade following a hurricane strike.

Puerto Rico Se Levanta: Advocacy service and research in the aftermath of Hurricane María.

Puerto Rico Se Levanta: Advocacy service and research in the aftermath of Hurricane María.

Post-Hurricane Distress Scale (PHDS): Determination of General and Disorder-Specific Cutoff Scores.

The Post-Hurricane Distress Scale (PHDS) was developed to assess mental health risk in the aftermath of hurricanes. We derive both disorder-specific cutoff values and a single nonspecific cutoff for the PHDS for field use by disaster relief and mental health workers. Data from 672 adult residents of Puerto Rico, sampled 3 to 12 months after Hurricane Maria, were collected. Participants completed a five-tool questionnaire packet: PHDS, Kessler K6, Patient Health Questionnaire 9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM V (PCL-5). ROC curves, AUC values, sensitivities, specificities, Youden’s index, and LR+ ratios are reported. The recommended single cutoff value for the PHDS is 41, whereby a respondent with a PHDS score of 41 or above is deemed high-risk for a mental health disorder. The single field use PHDS cutoff demonstrated high specificity (0.80), an LR + ratio (2.84), and a sensitivity of 0.56. The mean ROC values of PHDS for Kessler K6, Patient Health Questionnaire 9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7, and PCL-5 were all above 0.74. The derived cutoff for the PHDS allows efficient assessment of respondents’ and/or a community’s risk status for mental health disorders in the aftermath of hurricanes and natural disasters.

Key components of successful post–hurricane reconstruction of transportation infrastructures

PurposeIn the aftermath of hurricanes, the damage levied on transportation infrastructures increases the timeliness of emergency responses and recovery procedures, making it essential that they are reconstructed as quickly as possible – on time and within budget. The aim of this study was to determine significant performance indicators (PIs) that considerably affect cost and schedule performance as well as reworks in post–hurricane reconstruction of transportation infrastructure including highways, bridges, roadways, etc. Additionally, the determined PIs were clustered to investigate key components.Design/methodology/approachThe root causes of reconstruction projects' poor performance were identified through the existing literature, and 30 transportation infrastructure case studies were analyzed to determine the significant PIs that corresponded to cost, schedule performance and reworks. The factor analysis method was used to cluster the significant PIs and determine the key components affecting them.FindingsEight key components were found for cost, eight for schedule performance and six for reworks. The key components of cost performance are shortage of resources, information management, coordination, safety, location, quality of materials, quality of resources and project complexity. The key components of reconstruction schedule performance are human resources, risk management, work suspension, material resources, productivity, on-site inspections, geometrical characteristics and level of reconstruction complexity. The six key components of reconstruction reworks are logistic management, pace of decision-making, accommodation for staff, environmental issues, available temporary paths and volume of debris.Originality/valueThe outcomes of this research will assist authorities and decision makers in identifying and evaluating the critical root causes of poor cost performance, poor schedule performance and reworks and will enable them to facilitate the timely and effective allocation of resources.

An investigation of causal relationships among barriers that delay post-hurricane recovery of human communities

In the aftermath of hurricanes, the priority of decision makers is to return the affected community to its pre-disaster level of functioning. Recovery is a complex process, however, and is subject to several factors that might affect its timeliness. Therefore, understanding the barriers to timely post-hurricane recovery and determining the interrelations among them are highly important to planning for the recovery. This study investigates the causal relationships among the barriers that lead to delays in the process of recovery after hurricanes and determines the strength of those relationships. The barriers were identified by a thorough literature review, and the causal relationships were determined by implementing a social network analysis (SNA). The barriers that historically receive less attention in developing the mitigating frameworks and mathematical models were also identified. The results of this study show that misalignment among the policies, insufficient local government revenue, and lack of experience cause the most significant delays in recovery process; many other barriers, such as rate of employment, diversity of culture and languages, and damage to commercial buildings historically have not been adequately implemented in frameworks and models and deserve more consideration. The findings of this study will help the decision makers understand how the interactions of the barriers impact the timeliness of the recovery activities and will enable them to develop more reliable plans and frameworks for the recovery process.

Natural Disasters and the Effect of Celerity on Criminal Case Outcomes: A Natural Experiment in Kings County

Using case-level data, this study tests whether an increase in average crime-to-disposition time for felony arrests affects case outcomes. These outcomes are the likelihood of no-conviction, the likelihood of downgrading during the case disposition process (regardless of whether the case resulted in a conviction or no conviction), and the likelihood of an incarceration sentence. On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy produced extreme weather conditions in the greater New York City area, including Kings County. For felonies committed during the two-week period (October 28, 2012–November 10, 2012), Kings County experienced, on average, a 20.2% increase (34.3 days) in crime-to-disposition time. This increase provides an instrumental variable (IV) to test the effect of crime-to-disposition time on criminal case outcomes. Neither the hurricane aftermath nor a crime-to-disposition delay had any significant effect on the likelihood of incarceration, the likelihood of no-conviction, or the likelihood of downgrading. As a theoretical matter, the IV estimates suggest that reduced celerity (operationalized by a 20% increase in case processing time) does not affect the severity of punishment (operationalized by incarceration), the certainty of punishment (operationalized by the likelihood of no-conviction), or case processing complexity (operationalized by the likelihood of downgrading).

Resistance and resilience of Virgin Islands bird populations following severe hurricanes

We analyzed changes in abundance of terrestrial birds on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, for a 32 year period during which 3 major hurricanes occurred. Using 1987 as a baseline year, because it followed a 27 year hiatus when no major hurricanes hit the island, we assessed the impact of hurricanes on vegetation structure and bird populations. Bird abundance was determined for 25 m radius circular plots that were surveyed each year of the study along the same transects. Percent cover of trees, shrubs, and herbs was measured in each plot in 1987, 1990, and 2019. All of the survey plots were in moist forest or dry woodland in Virgin Islands National Park. Of 13 common birds, 5 did not show marked and consistent declines in abundance following hurricanes even though the structure of vegetation on the island was heavily modified by storms. Three of these species are insectivores. Seven species declined or showed habitat shifts following Hurricane Hugo in 1989, but 5 of these populations subsequently increased and most recovered to close to their 1987 abundance during the 1990s. Six of these 7 species also declined or showed habitat shifts following Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The most marked declines in the aftermath of hurricanes in both 1989 and 2017 were for frugivores and nectarivores, especially hummingbirds. Most common bird species in Virgin Islands National Park were either resistant to the effects of severe hurricanes or resilient in the decade following a hurricane. However, more research is needed to assess the status of vulnerable species such as hummingbirds and rare resident species (Bridled Quail-Dove [Geotrygon mystacea] and Puerto Rican Flycatcher [Myiarchus antillarum]).

Resistance and resilience of Virgin Islands bird populations following severe hurricanes

We analyzed changes in abundance of terrestrial birds on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, for a 32 year period during which 3 major hurricanes occurred. Using 1987 as a baseline year, because it followed a 27 year hiatus when no major hurricanes hit the island, we assessed the impact of hurricanes on vegetation structure and bird populations. Bird abundance was determined for 25 m radius circular plots that were surveyed each year of the study along the same transects. Percent cover of trees, shrubs, and herbs was measured in each plot in 1987, 1990, and 2019. All of the survey plots were in moist forest or dry woodland in Virgin Islands National Park. Of 13 common birds, 5 did not show marked and consistent declines in abundance following hurricanes even though the structure of vegetation on the island was heavily modified by storms. Three of these species are insectivores. Seven species declined or showed habitat shifts following Hurricane Hugo in 1989, but 5 of these populations subsequently increased and most recovered to close to their 1987 abundance during the 1990s. Six of these 7 species also declined or showed habitat shifts following Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The most marked declines in the aftermath of hurricanes in both 1989 and 2017 were for frugivores and nectarivores, especially hummingbirds. Most common bird species in Virgin Islands National Park were either resistant to the effects of severe hurricanes or resilient in the decade following a hurricane. However, more research is needed to assess the status of vulnerable species such as hummingbirds and rare resident species (Bridled Quail-Dove [Geotrygon mystacea] and Puerto Rican Flycatcher [Myiarchus antillarum]).

Towards the adaptability of coastal resilience: Vulnerability analysis of underground gas pipeline system after hurricanes using LiDAR data

The coastal pipeline is subjected to threats after extreme coastal weather events, however, most of the extant work fails to include pipeline risk assessment in the post-disaster coastal resilience evaluation, because the labor-intensive and time-consuming pipeline risk analysis techniques cannot be readily extended for disaster application. To address this need, this study exploited Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data for the vulnerability analysis of underground gas pipeline system after hurricanes. Specifically, compared to the prevailing work that is emphasized on the accuracy, this studied identified three requirements for disaster response applications including rapidity, applicability, and operability. Upon these requirements, we integrated LiDAR data with geospatial processing tools in ArcGIS to identify the most vulnerable location in the pipeline system aftermath of hurricanes in the coastal community. The method is implemented to cope with four facets of threats (vertical displacement, lateral deformation, flooding, and aging effect) and validated using a hurricane Sandy case study in Ocean County, New Jersey. The results showed that the proposed method not only satisfies the above three requirements in disaster response, but also aligns with the observed hurricane-induced damage patterns, and therefore deem appropriate for vulnerability analysis of underground gas pipeline system after hurricanes.

Food Fraud: Supply Chain Vulnerabilities and Criminal Opportunities during the COVID Pandemic

Abstract With COVID-19 rampaging through the world in 2020, global businesses were disrupted. The resulting pandemic caused many undesirable economic and societal effects including: sudden supply shortages, economic recession, unemployment, lower consumer incomes, reduced business revenues and increased business losses. A knock-on effect of these effects is increased opportunity for illicit trade to take place and food fraud. Paradoxically the coronavirus outbreak threatened legal global distribution routes and facilitated some fraudulent trade, highlighting that fraud is opportunistic by nature. This is not unexpected as case history and published literature highlights increased fraud in the aftermath of hurricanes and other natural disasters. History teaches us that fraudulent activities in the aftermath or amid a crisis result from “at-risk” individuals e.g., those in poverty, criminals or opportunists, taking advantage from weaknesses in systems e.g., food chain, financial services etc. and as crime increases offenders are motivated to find new flaws to exploit. So far, there are no international data available to compare incidence of food fraud and adulteration during pandemic to any previous pre-pandemic period. The scope of this paper is not therefore to assert that there was a pandemic related increase in food fraud, but to indicate market and supply chain weaknesses and disturbances that may have exposed the market to a higher risk of food fraud vulnerability during the pandemic. Indication of these system weaknesses, highlights areas that might deserve special monitoring and development to reduce vulnerability in any future global crisis.

Cuentos Combativos: Decolonialities in Puerto Rican Books About María

Guided by theories of racialization and through a decolonial analysis, we share findings on the examination of four children’s books written in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane María. In engaging with these books, we situate our work in communal and research activist practices that foreground Puerto Ricans’ hidden stories and knowledges. Our initial analysis focuses on mapping the complex and contradictory constructions of diverse sociopolitical perspectives within a Puerto Rican imaginary around Hurricane María, communal and historical agency, and emerging resistance as decolonial literary acts. We then provide a more in-depth analysis of two texts, exploring the themes of estamos bien, delinking, one story/one people, and acción social. Findings highlight the need to engage with ruptures created by texts within decolonial imaginative spaces to improve literacy instruction.

Developing City-Wide Hurricane Impact Maps using Real-Life Data on Infrastructure, Vegetation and Weather

Hurricanes affect thousands of people annually, with devastating consequences such as loss of life, vegetation and infrastructure. Vegetation losses such as downed trees and infrastructure disruptions such as toppled power lines often lead to roadway closures. These disruptions can be life threatening for the victims. Emergency officials, therefore, have been trying to find ways to alleviate such problems by identifying those locations that pose high risk in the aftermath of hurricanes. This paper proposes an integrated methodology that utilizes both Google Earth Engine (GEE) and geographical information systems (GIS). First, GEE is used to access Sentinel-2 satellite images and calculate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to investigate the vegetation change as a result of Hurricane Michael in the City of Tallahassee. Second, through the use of ArcGIS, data on wind speed, debris, roadway density and demographics are incorporated into the methodology in addition to the NDVI indices to assess the overall impact of the hurricane. As a result, city-wide hurricane impact maps are created using weighted indices created based on all these data sets. Findings indicate that the northeast side of the city was the worst affected because of the hurricane. This is a region where more seniors live, and such disruptions can lead to dramatic consequences because of the fragility of these seniors. Officials can pinpoint the identified critical locations for future improvements such as roadway geometry modification and landscaping justification.