Family Structures, Relationships, and Housing Recovery Decisions after Hurricane Sandy

Abstract

Abstract:Understanding of the recovery phase of a disaster cycle is still in its infancy. Recent major disasters such as Hurricane Sandy have revealed the inability of existing policies and planning to promptly restore infrastructure, residential properties, and commercial activities in affected communities. In this setting, a thorough grasp of housing recovery decisions can lead to effective post-disaster planning by policyholders and public officials. The objective of this research is to integrate vignette and survey design to study how family bonds affected rebuilding/relocating decisions after Hurricane Sandy. Multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate respondents' family structures before Sandy and explore whether their relationships with family members changed after Sandy. The study also explores the effect of the aforementioned relationship and its changes on households' plans to either rebuild/repair their homes or relocate. These results were compared to another multinomial logistic regression which was applied to examine the impact of familial bonds on respondents' suggestions to a vignette family concerning rebuilding and relocating after a hurricane similar to Sandy. Results indicate that respondents who lived with family members before Sandy were less likely to plan for relocating than those who lived alone. A more detailed examination shows that this effect was driven by those who improved their relationships with family members; those who did not improve their family relationships were not significantly different from those who lived alone, when it came to rebuilding/relocation planning. Those who improved their relationships with family members were also less likely to suggest that the vignette family relocate. This study supports the general hypothesis that family bonds reduce the desire to relocate, and provides empirical evidence that family mechanisms are important for the rebuilding/relocating decision-making process.

Health and Mental Health Impact of Tornadoes: Are Older Adults More Resilient?

“…Studies have started to investigate the impact of family environments (e.g., support exchanges) on older adults' responses to disaster and related health consequences. These studies have shown the importance of family as the context for resilience, but few studies have examined the interconnected health consequences of family members (Cong, Liang, and Luo 2022;Cutter et al 2013;Kaniasty and Norris 1993;Kuntz 2015;Lindell 2013;Nejat, Cong, and Liang 2016). Guided by the principle of linked lives from the perspective of life course, which emphasizes the importance of the influence of others on an individual's behaviors and health outcomes, one focus of this study is on how family members' conditions affect an individual's health and mental health consequences (Elder and Johnson 2003).…”

Development of an Integrated Pathways Model of Factors Influencing the Progress of Recovery After a Disaster

“…38 The problem of social vulnerability is a feature of both developing and developed countries in the aftermath of disaster, for example, survivors of hurricane Sandy who lived with family members before the disaster were less likely to relocate than those who lived alone, underscoring the vulnerability of the single individual in rebuilding and decision-making during the recovery. 5 Various studies in the past have established the role of household factors in disaster recovery, either individually or in combination with other factors such as external aid, government policies, and disaster management. 43,45,47 Household characteristics such as family size, the number of earning members, sources of income, literacy, and gender composition substantially impact the recovery process.…”

“…3 However, the recovery process is the least understood aspect of disaster management. 4,5 It is a complex and multidimensional process involving the physical, social, economic, and institutional components of community life. 6 There is a lack of clarity in defining what constitutes successful recovery.…”

“…14,15 A better understanding of the recovery process and its influencing factors can lead to effective post-disaster planning and recovery. 5 Various frameworks [16][17][18][19][20] and disaster recovery theories have been developed to guide relief efforts and achieve satisfactory disaster recovery; however, many of the models and theories are not comprehensive 13 and are not empirically replicable. 21 Similarly, most of the disaster studies are based on single or few case studies and are therefore not generalizable.…”

Public Perception of Vernacular Architecture in the Arabian Peninsula: The Case of Rawshan

“…A snowball sampling technique was utilized in distributing the survey questionnaire. This technique is a sampling approach that allows survey units to enhance their data [55][56][57]. This method, which is also referred to as chain-referral or link-tracing [58], is considered effective and economical [59].…”