A recent demographic study of the areas previously ravaged by massive hurricanes found that the people most likely to be affected by catastrophe tend to be poorer minority persons with household income and median home value well below state or regional averages. 

"The data were conclusive; the people most likely to be affected by catastrophe in the regions we studied were disproportionately minorities, poor and living in housing that is substantially below regional or national averages," said Peter J. McDonough, an adjunct professor at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, who conducted the study.  The report was commissioned by ProtectingAmerica.org.

"The notion that catastrophe protection programs are designed to bailout the wealthy owners of beachfront properties is clearly not supported by any demographic analysis.  In fact, this study suggests that quite the opposite is true," McDonough said.

The report, "The Demographics of Catastrophe," which was released in October, 2009, compared the statewide demographic profile of persons living in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Texas with that of the US population generally.  The study also looked at data from cities and counties and compared that to state and national data.  Those areas included Miami Dade County (FL), Orleans Parish (Louisiana), New Orleans, Louisiana and Galveston, Texas.

"Whether we looked at the number of persons living below the federal poverty line, the value of housing units or the average household income, in virtually every single aspect, the economic data from the US Census showed a population that was markedly poorer than average," McDonough said.

Louisiana’s African-American population, for example, is 32%, or more than two-and-one-half times higher than the national average of 12.8 percent.  In Mississippi, the number of African-American persons residing in the state is even higher, at 37.2 percent.   Median household income in both states is well below the national average of $50,740.  In Louisiana, the average annual household income is $40,866 and in Mississippi, the average household income is $36,424.

A full copy of the report is attached to this release or may be viewed at: http://www.protectingamerica.org/pdf/Demographics_of_Catastrophe.pdf

About ProtectingAmerica.org

ProtectingAmerica.org is a non-profit organization consisting of emergency management officials, first responders, disaster relief experts, insurers and others.  Its members include the American Red Cross and more than 300 other organizations and businesses.

At the core of ProtectingAmerica.org’s mission is the establishment of a comprehensive, integrated national catastrophe management solution that will better prepare and protect American families, communities, consumers and the American economy from catastrophe.   ProtectingAmerica.org is working to increase public awareness and enhance consumer education; advocate for better coordination with local, state and federal mitigation and recovery efforts, and strengthen emergency response and financial mechanisms to rebuild after a major catastrophe.