The United States, already reeling from the consequences of climate change, has seen a staggering 1.3% of its adult population displaced by natural disasters over the past year. According to the US Census Bureau’s first-of-its-kind survey results, a whopping 3.3 million US adults were forced to relocate due to hurricanes, floods, fires, tornadoes, and other calamities. The Household Pulse Survey, launched online in 2020, has shed new light on the devastating effects of these disasters on American families.
Florida, ravaged by the behemoths Hurricane Ian and Nicole last autumn, has borne the brunt of the displacement, with nearly 1 million people, or one in 17 adult residents, left reeling. Louisiana, which had a relatively calm hurricane season in 2022, still struggled with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, with over 409,000 people, or almost one in eight residents, displaced.
In Displacement’s Grip, Many Americans Feel the Searing HeatMeanwhile, states such as Indiana, Maine, North Dakota, Ohio, and Oklahoma fared relatively better, with lower rates of displacement. Among the 3.3 million displaced adults, a staggering third were forced out of their homes for less than a week, while approximately one in six never returned to their lives before the disaster struck.
The demographics of the displaced population mirrored that of the overall US population, with no significant variations in race or ethnicity. However, they did exhibit a tendency towards poverty, with 22% of displaced adults reporting household incomes of less than $25,000 a year, compared to 17.4% for the entire US population.
The US Census Bureau’s experimental survey, which invited over 1 million households to participate, gathered 70,685 responses in mid-December, painting a stark picture of displacement’s grip on America.