Mobile Home Residents Research Articles

“I’d Probably Just Ride it Out”: Hurricane Plans and Decision Making Among Men Experiencing Homelessness in Central Florida

Drawing on field interviews, this study examines hurricane plans among men experiencing homelessness in Central Florida. Specifically, we demonstrate how shelter policies contribute to homeless shelter aversion leading some participants’ to assert that they are better off riding out hurricanes alone in tents or makeshift shelters. Secondly, we examine how past experiences contribute to a sense of self-efficacy among participants, which may lead them to perceive tents and improvised shelters as providing adequate shelter. This article builds on Kusenbach’s research on hurricane plans among mobile home residents, arguing that socially marginalized populations assess risk and vulnerability based on experience and socio-cultural context.

Post-wildfire neighborhood change: Evidence from the 2018 Camp Fire

As the number of highly destructive wildfires grows, it is increasingly important to understand the long-term changes that occur to fire-affected places. Integrating approaches from social and biophysical science, we document two forms of neighborhood change following the 2018 Camp Fire in the United States, examining the more than 17,000 residential structures within the burn footprint. We found that mobile or motor homes, lower-value residences, and absentee owner residences had a significantly higher probability of being destroyed, providing evidence that housing stock filtering facilitated socially stratified patterns of physical damage. While the relationship between building value and destruction probability could be explained by measures of building density and distance to nearby roads, building type remained an independent predictor of structure loss that we could not fully explain by adding environmental covariates to our models. Using a geospatial machine learning technique, we then identified buildings that had been reconstructed within the burn footprint 20 months after the fire. We found that reconstructed buildings were more likely to have been owner-occupied prior to the fire and had higher average pre-fire property value, suggesting an emerging pattern of cost-burden gentrification. Our findings illustrate the importance of examining the built environment as a driver of socially uneven disaster impacts. Wildfire mitigation strategies are needed for mobile and motor home residents, renters, low-income residents, and dense neighborhoods.

Defending the Right to Remain for Mobile Home Residents Under Virginia Law

Defending the Right to Remain for Mobile Home Residents Under Virginia Law

Determinants of Displacement and Displacement Duration Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: A Hurdle Model Approach

In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused widespread destruction and displacement in parts of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. This research evaluates determinants of displacement and, conditional on being displaced, the duration of displacement for households living in areas affected by these hurricanes. Hurdle Models, which assume that different processes govern zero outcomes (i.e., no displacement) and positive outcomes (i.e., amount of time displaced), are used to model the likelihood of household displacement and its duration as a function of socioeconomic characteristics, hurricane-caused property and neighborhood damage, social support, and financial assistance. Results show that mobile home residence, marital status, educational attainment, the presence of children, and property and neighborhood damage affect the likelihood and expected length of displacement among sample respondents. Financial assistance and social support are also correlated with displacement and its duration, but endogeneity concerns complicate the interpretation of these results. The findings highlight the diversity of factors that slow households’ return following displacement and underscore the need for additional research on the role of social capital in determining hazard-related outcomes.

How effective are evacuation orders? An analysis of decision making among vulnerable populations in Florida during hurricane Irma

Natural disasters preparedness measures are of paramount importance in reducing fatalities, economic tolls, and health concerns for vulnerable populations. One such preparedness measure that policymakers can take is issuing an evacuation order. Our study focuses on vulnerable populations including people in low lying areas, flood evacuation zones, low income communities, sparsely populated areas, and in manufactured or mobile homes. We analyze the evacuation decision and distance of over 170,000 individuals using passively collected location-based service (LBS) data in Florida before, during and after Hurricane Irma. We control for evacuation order, evacuation order date, and storm path. The results of the analysis are in line with hurricane evacuation studies using survey data, which provides validation that using big data can be a reliable and efficient method to analyze hurricane evacuation decision making. Our major findings are that (1) individuals issued a mandatory order are far more likely to evacuate than if given a voluntary order, (2) manufactured and mobile home residents are more likely to evacuate short distances than site-built home residents but less likely to evacuate longer distances, (3) people living in low income census tracts were less likely to evacuate longer distances than those in higher income census tracts and (4) population, employment and road density were positively associated with decision to evacuate. The authors recommend that policies and hurricane preparation measures pay particular attention to less densely populated and low-income regions as these were identified as vulnerable areas that were less likely to evacuate.

A spatial analysis of the association between social vulnerability and the cumulative number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in United States counties through November 14, 2020.

ObjectivesCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is classified as a natural hazard, and social vulnerability describes the susceptibility of social groups to potential damages from natural hazards. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the association between social vulnerability and the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths (per 100,000) in 3,141 United States counties.MethodsThe cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths was obtained from USA Facts. Variables related to social vulnerability were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index and the 2018 5-Year American Community Survey. Data were analyzed using spatial autoregression models.ResultsLowest income and educational level, as well as high proportions of single parent households, mobile home residents, and people without health insurance were positively associated with a high cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths.ConclusionIn conclusion, there are regional differences in the cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths in United States counties, which are affected by various social vulnerabilities. Hence, these findings underscore the need to take social vulnerability into account when planning interventions to reduce COVID-19 deaths.

Factors Associated with Hurricane Evacuation: A Statistical Meta-Analysis of Studies, 1999-2018.

Hurricane evacuation is one of the strategies employed by emergency management and other agencies to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with hurricanes. However, factors associated with residents' evacuation decision-making have been inconsistent. In this study, we conducted a statistical meta-analysis to identify factors associated with hurricane evacuation as well as moderators of the evacuation decision. A systematic literature search identified 36 studies published between 1999 and 2018. Pooled estimates were calculated using random-effects models, and heterogeneity across studies was checked using both Q and I2 statistics. Meta-regression methods were used to identify moderators. Publication bias was assessed using both visual (funnel plots) and statistical methods. Mobile home residence, perception of risk, female sex, and Hispanic ethnicity were statistically associated with hurricane evacuation, while geographic region modified the relationship between Hispanic race and evacuation. Agencies responsible for preparedness may utilize these findings to identify specific population sub-groups for hurricane evacuation communication and other interventions. Future studies should consider statistical interactions and explore opportunities for research translation to emergency officials.

Hurricane Harvey: equal opportunity storm or disparate disaster?

ABSTRACT In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, multiple media sources claimed the event was an “equal opportunity” storm. These claims challenge existing social vulnerability research that finds marginalised groups have both unequal risk exposure and subsequent differential impacts from disasters (Cutter, Boruff, and Shirley 2003, “Assessing Current and Future Freshwater Flood Risk from North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones via Insurance Claims.” Scientific Reports 7 (February): 41609; Faber 2015, “Superstorm Sandy and the Demographics of Flood Risk in New York City.” Human Ecology 43 (3): 363–378. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-015-9757-x; Thomas et al. 2013, Social Vulnerability to Disasters. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press). To understand the accuracy of this “equal opportunity” assertion, we use ordinary least squares, simultaneous autoregressive, and geographically weighted regression techniques to investigate the relationships between indicators of social vulnerability and FEMA-approved housing damages from Hurricane Harvey across five cities in the Houston area. Findings suggest Harvey had disproportionate impacts on housing damages for Black, Latinx, and mobile home residents. These results serve as a foundational analysis for the broader purpose of informing policy decisions regarding recovery efforts and future approaches to improving flooding resilience in the Houston area.

Mobile home residence as a risk factor for adverse events among children in a mixed rural-urban community: A case for geospatial analysis.

Given the significant health effects, we assessed geospatial patterns of adverse events (AEs), defined as physical or sexual abuse and accidents or poisonings at home, among children in a mixed rural-urban community. We conducted a population-based cohort study of children (<18 years) living in Olmsted County, Minnesota, to assess geographic patterns of AEs between April 2004 and March 2009 using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes. We identified hotspots by calculating the relative difference between observed and expected case densities accounting for population characteristics (; hotspot ≥ 0.33) using kernel density methods. A Bayesian geospatial logistic regression model was used to test for association of subject characteristics (including residential features) with AEs, adjusting for age, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES). Of the 30,227 eligible children (<18 years), 974 (3.2%) experienced at least one AE. Of the nine total hotspots identified, five were mobile home communities (MHCs). Among non-Hispanic White children (85% of total children), those living in MHCs had higher AE prevalence compared to those outside MHCs, independent of SES (mean posterior odds ratio: 1.80; 95% credible interval: 1.22-2.54). MHC residency in minority children was not associated with higher prevalence of AEs. Of addresses requiring manual correction, 85.5% belonged to mobile homes. MHC residence is a significant unrecognized risk factor for AEs among non-Hispanic, White children in a mixed rural-urban community. Given plausible outreach difficulty due to address discrepancies, MHC residents might be a geographically underserved population for clinical care and research.

“Trailer Trash” Stigma and Belonging in Florida Mobile Home Parks

&lt;p&gt;In the United States, residents of mobile homes and mobile home communities are faced with cultural stigmatization regarding their places of living. While common, the “trailer trash” stigma, an example of both housing and neighborhood/territorial stigma, has been understudied in contemporary research. Through a range of discursive strategies, many subgroups within this larger population manage to successfully distance themselves from the stigma and thereby render it inconsequential (Kusenbach, 2009). But what about those residents—typically white, poor, and occasionally lacking in stability—who do not have the necessary resources to accomplish this? This article examines three typical responses by low-income mobile home residents—here called resisting, downplaying, and perpetuating—leading to different outcomes regarding residents’ sense of community belonging. The article is based on the analysis of over 150 qualitative interviews with mobile home park residents conducted in West Central Florida between 2005 and 2010.&lt;/p&gt;

Staying Safe in a Tornado: A Qualitative Inquiry into Public Knowledge, Access, and Response to Tornado Warnings

Abstract Tornadoes in the southeastern United States continue to cause substantial injury, death, and destruction. The present study seeks to 1) understand inadequate warning access, less understanding, and/or less likelihood of responding to tornado warnings; 2) examine public attitudes about NWS communications; and 3) explore the perceptions of NWS personnel regarding public response to tornado warnings, factors that might influence response, and how their perceptions impact their communication. Participants include a purposive sample of NWS forecasters in Tennessee (n = 11) and residents (n = 45) who were identified as having low access to, low knowledge of, or an unsafe response to tornado warnings in a previous study. A qualitative approach with semistructured interviews was used. Findings indicated that most participants had at least one warning source. Barriers to warning access included electricity outages, rurality, lack of storm radio, heavy sleeping, and hearing impairments. Most participants had knowledge of NWS guidelines for safe shelter seeking but still engaged in behaviors considered unsafe. Proximity, personal experience, and influence of family and friends emerged as influencers of response to warnings. NWS personnel perceived that proximity played a significant role in shelter-seeking behavior as well as the need for confirmation. Poor access to safe shelter arose as a major concern for NWS personnel, specifically mobile home residents. Messaging and specificity in warnings to evoke safe shelter-seeking behavior surfaced as critical issues for NWS personnel. Implications for education and policy changes to enhance public safety and improve public health are noted.

Factors affecting mobile home prevalence in the United States: Poverty, natural amenities, and employment in natural resources

AbstractMobile home residence in the United States is associated with negative social, economic, and health‐related outcomes. However, although research on mobile home residence at the individual level has been performed, a geographic understanding of mobile home prevalence in the United States remains absent from the literature. Therefore, the purpose of our analysis was to evaluate the county‐level drivers of mobile home prevalence in the continental United States in 2015. The influence of five groups of variables—demographic, economic, housing, industry and occupation, and natural amenities—were assessed in a series of nested ordinary least squares regressions. Additionally, the full model was run as a spatial lag regression to control for spatial autocorrelation. Our results indicate that the primary drivers of mobile home prevalence in U.S. counties were the percent of population in near poverty, the labour force participation rate, and the percent of the population employed in natural resource occupations.

Mobile home resident evacuation vulnerability and emergency medical service access during tornado events in the Southeast United States

Tornado mortality is greatest in the Southeast United States (U.S.) due to an elevated tornado risk, a larger total developed land area, and a greater number of mobile and manufactured homes. The National Weather Service (NWS) and Federal Management Agency (FEMA) both recommend that mobile home residents evacuate to a nearby sturdier structure when tornado threats arise. However, previous research has indicated that less than 30% of mobile home residents evacuate their homes during tornado events despite their expressed willingness to flee. This study employs geospatial near and network analysis techniques from mobile and permanent homes to nearby potential sheltering locations to determine possible reasons for the less than ideal sheltering rates. Additionally, emergency medical service response times for mobile and permanent homes are also assessed using a network analysis methodology. Results indicate that the distances and travel times from mobile homes to shelters are significantly greater than that of permanent homes to shelters. The distances and travel times from first responder stations to mobile homes are also greater compared to those associated with permanent home residents. Findings from this research illustrate that in addition to mobile home residents being more physically and socioeconomically vulnerable to tornadoes, they are also disproportionally less served by potential sheltering locations and emergency services due to being located more commonly in rural areas, especially in southern Alabama. Outcomes from this study may also be utilized by emergency managers and policy makers to refine and implement new tornado preparedness and mitigation plans within southeastern U.S. communities.

How Mobile Home Residents Understand and Respond to Tornado Warnings

Abstract Mobile home residents experience higher fatality rates from tornadoes than “fixed home” residents. Yet, research on how mobile home residents understand and respond to tornado warnings is lacking. Such research can help meteorologists and their partners better communicate tornado risk. We conducted four surveys with residents of the southeastern United States. This region has the highest concentration of tornado fatalities and killer tornadoes, in part because of the high density of mobile homes. Findings reveal that today’s tornado warning system inadequately prepares mobile home residents to respond safely to tornadoes. The study offers recommendations for how to improve tornado communication for mobile and fixed home residents.

Tornado Warnings Don’t Adequately Prepare Mobile Home Residents

A survey of the southeastern United States shows that nearly half of mobile home residents don’t know where to shelter during a tornado, and many aren’t getting the resources they need to survive one.

Factors associated with self-reported mental health of residents exposed to Hurricane Harvey

BackgroundElevated rates of mental morbidity have been reported among residents of areas exposed to hurricanes. This study aims to assess the self-rated mental health of Texas residents exposed to Hurricane Harvey and identify factors associated with variations in self-rated mental health. MethodsThe 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) was administered to 1086 residents of the Texas Gulf Coast exposed to Hurricane Harvey. Responses were scored using the algorithm recommended by Quality Metric. A multiple linear regression model was fitted to identify the factors that predicted the respondents' mental component summary scores (MCS). ResultsTexas Gulf Coast residents exposed to Harvey exhibited poorer self-rated mental health than the U.S national population (Mean MCS = 34.58 (SD = 8.89)). Respondents with graduate or professional degrees, older adults, and those with higher perception of surge risk had better reported mental health after Hurricane Harvey, while females and mobile home residents had poorer reported mental health. ConclusionResidents of areas exposed to Hurricane Harvey reported poorer self-rated mental health compared to national standards. These findings support the enhanced provision of mental health services after a disaster, and suggest that they may be most effective when integrated with economic and educational programs and directed towards populations that are younger and less-educated in addition to women with children as well as those who live in mobile homes.

This Land is My Land: Absence and Ruination in the American Dream of (Mobile) Homeownership

AbstractManufactured homes occupy a unique space in the American sociopolitical landscape. Colloquially referred to as “mobile homes” or “trailers,” manufactured housing’s ambiguous social, legal, and financial categorization produces continuous displacement pressure for millions of mobile‐homeowners living in for‐profit mobile home communities (MHCs). This article examines the consequences of mobile‐homeowner disparagement as “trailer trash” through the case study of Isabel, a mobile‐homeowner whose twofold eviction—of both owner and home—was justified based on her possession of socially undesirable (mobile) housing. Drawing on fieldwork in urban MHCs from 2011 to 2016, this article reconstructs Isabel’s story via the materiality of eviction and demonstrates a methodology for urban ethnographers who encounter displacement after the fact. Whereas corporate and municipal narratives attempt to delegitimize mobile home residents as “not quite” homeowners, reintroducing Isabel as an absent subject illustrates how potent sociocultural disdain produces, and even anticipates, the material ruination of “trailer trash.” [Housing; United States; Absence; Materiality; Ruination; Mobile Homes]

Finescale Assessment of Mobile Home Tornado Vulnerability in the Central and Southeast United States

Abstract Research has illustrated that tornado disaster potential and impact severity are controlled by hazard risk and underlying physical and social vulnerabilities. Previous vulnerability studies have suggested that an important driver of disaster consequence is the type of housing affected by tornadic winds. This study employs a Monte Carlo tornado simulation tool; mobile home location information derived from finescale, land-parcel data; and census enumerations of socioeconomic vulnerability factors to assess the tornado impact probability for one of the most wind hazard–susceptible demographics in the United States: mobile home residents. Comparative analyses between Alabama and Kansas are employed to highlight regional (i.e., Southeast vs Great Plains) differences in mobile home tornado risk, exposure, and vulnerability. Tornado impact potential on mobile homes is 4.5 times (350%) greater in Alabama than in Kansas because Alabama, in comparison to Kansas, is represented by 1) a greater number of mobile homes and 2) a more sprawling mobile home distribution. Findings reveal that the Southeast’s mobile home residents are one of the most socioeconomically and demographically marginalized populations in the United States and are more susceptible to tornado impact and death than illustrated in prior research. Policy makers, engineers, and members of integrated warning teams (i.e., National Weather Service, media, emergency managers, and first responders) should use these findings to initiate a dialogue and construct interdisciplinary actions aimed at improving societal and individual resilience before, during, and after hazardous weather events.

“It's Not Where I'd be Running like an Idiot for a Small One:” Hurricane Perceptions and Evacuation Decision Making among Florida Mobile Home Residents

In the eyes of experts, Florida mobile home residents near the Central Gulf coast experience high levels of disaster risk and physical vulnerability, mandating special warnings and protections during hazards. However, this view is not typically shared by mobile home residents themselves who generally consider the risk of hurricanes to be low or acceptable, and who often believe their homes are safe enough, at least up to a certain point. These mundane perceptions, in combination with other factors, rather than “objective” risk and vulnerability, significantly influence how mobile home residents make evacuation decisions. Contributing to the issues of social vulnerability and marginality in disaster research, this paper offers a qualitative analysis of 103 interviews with Florida mobile home households conducted between 2008 and 2010. Besides demonstrating patterns of risk and (physical) vulnerability perception among study participants, and evaluating their impact on evacuation decisions, the analysis highlights the need to account for human agency and interpretation in scholarly disaster discourse, proposing symbolic interactionism as a relevant theoretical framework.

Mobile Home Residents and Hurricane Vulnerability in South Florida: Research Gaps and Challenges

In South Florida there are several social and logistical challenges to surveying and advocating for mobile home residents regarding vulnerability to natural hazards such as sea level rise and hurricanes. These residents have consequently been understudied despite historically exhibiting higher vulnerability and lower resilience. This exploratory study uses a social-ecological framework to highlight individual-, community-, and institutional-level challenges and research gaps encountered when working with mobile home residents. These observations represent a longer-term opportunity to further refine our understanding of natural hazard vulnerability, build increased resilience among vulnerable populations, and improve health equity in South Florida and beyond.