Before and after disaster: Homeowner protective actions in a changing climate

Abstract

Communities face a growing threat from increasingly severe weather events driven by a changing climate. The threat is especially acute in US coastal communities where current regulations have proven ineffective in stemming mounting hurricane losses. Absent meaningful regulatory reforms, climate adaptation in coastal zones will largely depend on the voluntary actions of homeowners. We introduce a novel research methodology to study those actions in a post-hurricane landscape where damage necessitates reconstruction decisions. The methodology includes (1) a modular survey instrument robust enough to document diverse damage experiences and recovery journeys, (2) indices that measure homeowner protective actions over time and holistic damage exposure, and (3) a sampling strategy that uses secondary data to target households likely to be engaged in recovery actions, maximizing yields in settings characterized by low response rates. The efficacy of this research methodology is demonstrated through the study of 373 homeowners in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, a community still recovering from Hurricane Laura. On average, homeowners invested in protection before the storm, increased that protection level after the storm, and intend to continue to invest in protections for their homes. However, despite homeowners’ promising actions, homes in Calcasieu Parish achieve at best half of the measures necessary to stem the losses in future hurricanes, underscoring the need for policies that better incentivize and message whole-house climate adaptation strategies. Future research aims to use the data and indices to identify factors with greatest potential to motivate these whole-house adaptations.