Hurricanes on the Alabama Gulf Coast: The Manageable Impacts of Ivan and Katrina

Donna Milam Handley

Municipal Finance Journal, 2006, vol. 27, issue 2, 95 - 111

Abstract: What choices have Alabamians been forced to make as a result of the most recent hurricanes that have battered the Gulf Coast? The geographic location of the Alabama Gulf Coast requires that government and business officials follow trends in revenue sources, especially those driven by the impact of visitors to the area. This study examines selected economic trends to determine the financial impacts of Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina on Alabama. Data historically tracked in the Mobile area—trends in the collection of sales tax revenues, employment rates, and area attractions—provide a framework for evaluating the hurricanes’ potential effects on the local economy. The analysis of these trends is followed by an evaluation of the ways in which the storms have affected the processes of local planning and decision making, along with market effects, land use, and aesthetics. Findings suggest that Alabama coastal communities in Mobile and the surrounding areas take a proactive stance in storm disaster preparation and that the local economies found both Ivan and Katrina to be manageable adversaries.

Date: 2006
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