Exploring the Environmental Justice Implications of Hurricane Harvey Flooding in Greater Houston, Texas.

Objectives. To assess the environmental justice implications of flooding from Hurricane Harvey in Greater Houston, Texas, we analyzed whether the areal extent of flooding was distributed inequitably with respect to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, after controlling for relevant explanatory factors.Methods. Our study integrated cartographic information from Harvey’s Inundation Footprint, developed by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, with sociodemographic data from the 2012–2016 American Community Survey. Statistical analyses were based on bivariate correlations and multivariate generalized estimating equations.Results. The areal extent of Harvey-induced flooding was significantly greater in neighborhoods with a higher proportion of non-Hispanic Black and socioeconomically deprived residents after we controlled for contextual factors and clustering.Conclusions. Results provide evidence of racial/ethnic and socioeconomic injustices in the distribution of flooding and represent an importa...

DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2018.304846 MAG ID: 2906468836 PMID: 30571302