<p>The increasing frequency and severity of many environmental disasters – such as hurricanes, floods, and extreme heat – necessitate new research on effective mitigation and adaptation strategies. The average U.S. household resides in a county that experiences an estimated $250 million in annual property damage from disasters. However, residents’ capacity to withstand, adapt, and recover from repeated disasters varies significantly. Prior research suggests that racially minoritized households experience greater residential instability following disasters, yet may be less likely than White households to permanently migrate out of high-risk areas. Existing explanations for these racial disparities in long-distance disaster migration often focus on the financial barriers to relocation. Yet, due to limited nationally representative data that incorporates social network variables, we know little about how local social ties – particularly family ties – may also shape migration decisions. This study addresses that gap by integrating longitudinal household and family network data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics with county-level disaster data from the Spatial Hazards Events and Losses Database for the United States. The findings reveal that regardless of socioeconomic status, Black households are less likely to out-migrate from disaster areas than White households, and that group differences in local family ties explain much of this racial disparity. These results highlight the importance of considering both economic resources and social embeddedness in designing equitable disaster recovery and climate resettlement policies.</p>