Identifier

etd-04042007-090939

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Sociology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Previous sociological research on natural disasters has highlighted how various dimensions of social vulnerability influence the impact of, and recovery from, such disasters. This research contributes to the literature by examining population change in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, with an explicit focus on how social vulnerability moderates this relationship. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, I construct a macro-level Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) for the impacted region and then use regression analysis to explore how various dimensions of social vulnerability are related to population change in the six months following the storms. The results reveal a number of significant relationships, including a history of population flux and the presence of elderly populations. However, the results are just as notable for what they do not show. Overall, I find little evidence that social vulnerability plays a major role in moderating the macro-level relationship between a disaster and population change. Implications for future research and public policy are then discussed.

Date

2007

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Tim Slack

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.1765

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