Reassessing the economic impacts of Hurricane Harvey on Texas: a closer look with granular analyses

This study re-evaluates the economic impacts of Hurricane Harvey on Texas by utilizing both data-driven analyses and survey study. The results differ based on the data and methodologies employed. County-level data analyses suggest no significant difference in the hurricane’s effect between ‘affected’ and ‘unaffected’ counties in Texas. More granular analyses at the Census tract level, however, show a positive economic impact on Jefferson County, likely due to an influx of external funds for recovery and relief efforts. Furthermore, there is strong evidence that Hurricane Harvey’s impacts vary significantly among Census tracts within the same county, in particular along socioeconomic lines. Recovery was slower in tracts with higher proportions of populations in poverty or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients. This disproportionate impact was also confirmed by our household survey conducted in the City of Beaumont. Aggregate data analyses tend to obscure these disproportionate impacts, thereby failing to accurately represent the adverse effects on socially vulnerable communities. Our findings highlight the crucial need for policies that address the disproportionate impacts on socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.