Will People Return to Houston After Hurricane Harvey?
How past natural disasters have impacted migration patterns
Even when the water is gone, Houston will not be as it was.
Residents who fled their homes to escape Hurricane Harvey will return find their cars junked, their houses full of mold, their furniture destroyed. And they’ll have a visceral, first-hand experience of just how bad it can get when Houston floods.
Natural disasters are many things, and they can be an impetus for people to move. Leah Boustan, an economist at Princeton—along with her colleagues Matthew Kahn, Paul Rhode, and Maria Lucia Yanguas—have tracked migration after. I spoke to her about what to expect after Houston recovers from Hurricane Harvey.
