Environmental Justice Analysis of Post-Hurricane Funding and Planning

Abstract

As disasters increase in frequency and severity with climate change, affected communities across the United States are struggling to recover in a timely manner. Through analysis of federal and state recovery funds and semi-structured interviews with state and local stakeholders, our project examined how rural communities in North Carolina are accessing recovery funds following hurricanes Matthew and Florence. Results show that barriers to hurricane recovery are procedural, informational, financial, and cultural in nature. Additionally, stakeholders identified numerous strategies for community members to build resilience in their communities throughout the post-hurricane funding and planning process. Generally, effective resilience strategies fell into three distinct groups which encompassed all phases of the hurricane planning process: expanded pre-disaster planning, building relationships and trust, and partnerships with local organizations. Our research highlighted actionable steps that can be taken to address issues in the current hurricane recovery funding framework.