Tamara Sheldon, University of South Carolina

Migration is one possible adaptation to climate change. We employ FEMA disaster declaration data and American Community Survey data to study households’ post-disaster migration choices. We find that while natural disasters increase households’ propensity to migrate by up to one percentage point, low-income households are especially less likely to move following disasters associated with less FEMA aid. We also find that disaster-affected migrants favor safer destinations when migrating. The results imply the need for prioritizing disaster risk reduction for vulnerable populations who are less likely to adapt to climate change through migration.

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