Technical Papers
Aug 20, 2018

Homeowner Decisions to Retrofit to Reduce Hurricane-Induced Wind and Flood Damage

Publication: Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 24, Issue 4

Abstract

Even as new incentive programs emerge to encourage homeowners to strengthen their homes so as to reduce the risk of damage in extreme events, little is known about how homeowners make such decisions. In this paper, we combine revealed and stated preference survey data to develop separate mixed logit models for homeowner decisions about retrofits aimed at addressing four different types of hurricane damage—wind damage to the roof, openings (windows, doors), and roof-to-wall connection, and flood damage. Results provide evidence that offering a grant increases the likelihood of retrofitting, but offer no such evidence for incentives in the form of low-interest loans or insurance premium reductions. The models also suggest that the probability of retrofitting varies by type (e.g., installing shutters versus strengthening the roof), with the most interest in strengthening openings, and that homeowners are more likely to retrofit when they are closer to the coast, younger, in newer homes, or within a year of a hurricane experience.

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Acknowledgments

This material is based on work supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, US Department of Commerce, under Award 60NANB10D016; the National Science Foundation under collaborative Awards 1435298, 1433622, and 1434716; and the US Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number 2015-ST-061-ND0001-01. The statements, findings, and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the US Department of Commerce, the National Science Foundation, or the US Department of Homeland Security.

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Go to Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 24Issue 4December 2018

History

Received: Jun 9, 2017
Accepted: May 24, 2018
Published online: Aug 20, 2018
Published in print: Dec 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Jan 20, 2019

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Affiliations

Zeinab Y. Jasour [email protected]
Graduate Student, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716. Email: [email protected]
Rachel A. Davidson, A.M.ASCE [email protected]
Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716 (corresponding author). Email: [email protected]
Joseph E. Trainor [email protected]
Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716. Email: [email protected]
Jamie L. Kruse [email protected]
Professor, Dept. of Economics, East Carolina Univ., Greenville, NC 27858. Email: [email protected]
Linda K. Nozick [email protected]
Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14853. Email: [email protected]

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