Economic Effects of Hurricane Evacuation: Florence 2018

Hurricane Florence made landfall in September 2018 on the eastern coast of the United States was estimated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to have caused twenty-four billion dollars in damages and took the lives of fifty-three people in the Carolinas. Virginia was one of the states that was expected to suffer significant damages, particularly around the southern coastal area, from the storm but received little to no impact. This study examines the economic impact of the mandatory evacuation notice given to these areas to add to the total dollar amount of damages. Areas under consideration include counties and independent cities affected and the preeminent businesses and important institutions, such as colleges and military bases, that were closed during this period. In addition, we estimate the total cost per person during the evacuation. This research also investigates the different factors that affect the total cost per person and past hurricane experiences to estimate the behavior between different individuals who may have stayed or evacuated to play into the estimated total cost. This research may provide guidance to the potential monetary impact of mandatory evacuations.

Acknowledgement: This study is supported and monitored by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – Cooperative Science Center for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies (NOAA-CESSRST) under the Cooperative Agreement Grant #NA16SEC4810008. Mr. Julian Payne-Dillard would like to thank The City College of New York, NOAA-CESSRST and NOAA Office of Education, Educational Partnership Program for fellowship support. The statements contained within the manuscript/research article are not the opinions of the funding agency or the U.S. government, but reflect the author’s opinions.