The Invisible People of the Invisible Coast: The Resilience of People Experiencing Homelessness to Disasters on the Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi Gulf Coasts

<p>While extensive research has been conducted on vulnerability and resilience with regard to hazards, very few studies have researched the resilience of homeless populations. The Gulf Coast region is densely populated and susceptible to natural and anthropogenic hazards. Climate change studies indicate that this region will experience an increase in severe and intense tropical cyclones<a title="">[1]</a>, thereby increasing the risk of experiencing adverse impacts from future coastal hazards. While local government agencies in this region have policies in place to protect communities, these policies tend to exclude any action regarding the evacuation and safety of the homeless population.</p> <p>In this study, a mixed-methods approach along with spatial analysis and modeling was used to analyze social and physical capital of homeless populations residing in the coastal counties of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, and their resilience to disasters. Social networks were analyzed through a gravity model and physical networks were analyzed through closest facility and location-allocation modeling to determine the proximity of homeless individuals to emergency assistance locations and identify potential locations for additional assistance centers. Findings reveal the majority of the homeless live within one kilometer from assistance, and a small portion of the population lives within close proximity to their social capital. Results also show physical capital (e.g., money to evacuate and cell phone access) and social capital (e.g., friends and acquaintances willing to assist financially and live out-of-state) has a large impact on resilience.</p> <p><a title="">[1]</a> National Climate Assessment (NCA) (2014). <em>Climate change impacts in the United States. </em>Retrieved from:http://s3.amazonaws.com/nca2014/low/NCA3_Full_Report_0a_Front_Matter_LowRes. pdf?download=1</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Geography and Geology

Year dc:date.available

2016

Author dc:creator

• Callais, Nicole Elizabeth

Contributors dc:contributor

• Bandana Kar
• David Cochran
• George Raber

• GIS
• homeless
• hazard
• disaster
• social capital
• physical capital
• Geographic Information Sciences
• Human Geography
• Nature and Society Relations
• Other Geography
• Remote Sensing
• Social Work
• Spatial Science
• Urban Studies and Planning

Repository record dc:identifier

https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/203

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:aquila.usm.edu:masters_theses-1230