Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Geography

Major Professor

Yi Qiang, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Barnali Dixon, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jennifer Collins, Ph.D.

Keywords

community resilience, hierarchical regression, Socio-economic inequalities, spatial analysis

Abstract

Literature shows that communities with different socio-economic conditions suffer from different levels of damage in disasters. In addition to the physical intensity of hazards, such disparities are also related to varying abilities to prepare for and respond to natural hazards. The study analyzes the spatial patterns of building damage in Hurricane Ian in 2022 and investigates the socio-economic disparities related to building damage. Specifically, this study employs NASA’s Damage Proxy Map (DPM2) to analyze Ian's spatial patterns of building damage. Then, it uses statistical analysis to assess the relationship between building damage and various physical and socio-economic variables at building and census tract levels. The results of the analysis provide valuable insights into the influential factors of building damage and the socio-economic inequalities among different population groups. The study also applies geographically weighted regression (GWR) to examine the spatially varying effects of the damage factors. This study increased our understanding of community resilience and disaster risk reduction aspects. Moreover, the study's findings provide actionable information for policymakers, emergency responders, and community leaders in formulating strategies to mitigate the impacts of future hurricanes through the identification of vulnerable racial and age demographic groups.

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