Socioeconomic and Housing Vulnerability’s Role in Decision Time for Reconstruction in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria
Publication: Construction Research Congress 2022
ABSTRACT
Despite anecdotal evidence on the role of socioeconomic vulnerabilities, there remains a need to understand the effect of these vulnerabilities on decision time for reconstruction. To address this gap, this research asks: How do socioeconomic vulnerabilities affect decision time for reconstruction in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria? Data collection included household surveys (N = 305) in two communities in Puerto Rico in December 2018 and January 2019. Socioeconomic vulnerabilities considered in this study included gender, older adults, educational level, and annual income. Binary logistic regression models show that homeowners who have a yearly income level below $10,000 (low-income households) are less likely to decision time for reconstruction than the homeowners who have an income level above $10,000 (high-income household) after Hurricane Maria. In other words, lower-income households were likely to start housing reconstruction later compared to higher-income households. The government and policymakers may use the data in recovery efforts to focus on lower-income families in the reconstruction process.
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Construction Research Congress 2022
Pages: 455 - 463
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Published online: Mar 7, 2022
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