Unequal Recovery? Federal Resource Distribution after a Midwest Flood Disaster

Cristina E. Muñoz and Eric Tate
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Cristina E. Muñoz: Department of Geographical & Sustainability Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
Eric Tate: Department of Geographical & Sustainability Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA

IJERPH, 2016, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: Following severe flooding in 2008, three Iowa communities acquired over 1000 damaged properties to support disaster recovery and mitigation. This research applies a distributive justice framework to analyze the distribution of disaster recovery funds for property acquisition. Two research questions drive the analysis: (1) how does recovery vary by acquisition funding source; and (2) what is the relationship between recovery and vulnerable populations? Through spatial econometric modeling, relative recovery is compared between two federal programs that funded the acquisitions, and across socially vulnerable populations. The results indicate both distributive and temporal inequalities in the allocation of federal recovery funds. In particular, Latino and elderly populations were associated with lower recovery rates. Recommendations for future research in flood recovery and acquisitions are provided.

Keywords: property acquisition; buyouts; environmental justice; social vulnerability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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