海角社区 Sociology Professor Authors Article on Social Inequalities inside and outside
the Floodplains during Hurricane Harvey
Dr. Kevin T. Smiley, assistant professor in the 海角社区 Department of Sociology, recently
authored an article about social inequalies and flood risk outside of conventional
flood zones.
09/15/2020
BATON ROUGE 鈥�
海角社区 Department of Sociology Assistant Professor
Kevin T. Smiley recently authored an article about social inequalities and flood risk outside of
conventional flood zones that was published today by
Environmental Research Letters.
The article titled, Social inequalities in flooding inside and outside of floodplains during Hurricane
Harvey, discusses how flooding outside of the floodplain from extreme weather events impacts
vulnerable groups in those areas.
Using Hurricane Harvey and Houston as a case study, Dr. Smiley鈥檚 research showed that
Black and Hispanic neighborhoods tended to have higher levels of flooding, and that
that flooding disproportionately occurred outside of the floodplain.
鈥淲hile we know that flooding often occurs beyond risky floodplains, we don鈥檛 have
much of a sense of who experience flood impacts in these places that aren鈥檛 typically
conceived of as risky. The analysis of Hurricane Harvey shows clearly that it is Black
and Hispanics in Houston that bear the brunt of these impacts,鈥� said Smiley.
Increasingly, we see that flooding occurs outside of the risky flood zones, like 100-year
floodplains determined by FEMA. This was the case during Hurricane Harvey, where the
vast majority of flooding occurred outside of the 100-year floodplains. Dr. Smiley鈥檚
research asks: who are the residents that experience these flood impacts in places
not listed as risky? This research finds that during Hurricane Harvey it is Black
and Hispanic neighborhoods that experienced worse impacts outside of floodplains than
white neighborhoods.
Understanding flood risk for populations in locations outside of the floodplain is
important because no previous research has identified the social characteristics of
who experiences these impacts outside of floodplains. Dr. Smiley鈥檚 work uncovers racial
inequalities behind flooding in less risky zones, raising a critical environmental
justice issue. Implications of this research are that uneven impacts may lead to unequal
housing recoveries which can expand racial inequalities. The topic was recently highlighted
in a that revealed twice as many properties in the U.S. may be susceptible to flood damage
than previously thought. What Dr. Smiley鈥檚 research adds to that work is a better
understanding of who may be at risk as our understanding of flood risk becomes better
refined and more closely accounts for climate change.
Dr. Yoshinori Kamo, chair of the 海角社区 Department of Sociology, said, 鈥淕iven an increasing
number of hurricanes affecting our communities due to the long-term climate change
and our heightened awareness of racial inequalities, Dr. Smiley鈥檚 article couldn鈥檛
be more timely. This is truly a groundbreaking article in the critical area of environmental
sociology.鈥�
Dr. Smiley鈥檚 areas of research interests include social inequalities in urban environments,
especially as it relates to disasters, health, immigration, race, and social capital.
His research on Hurricane Harvey is funded by the .
Environmental Research Letters is a peer-reviewed journal that covers all of environmental science, providing a
coherent and integrated approach including research articles, perspectives, and review
articles.
The full article is available online .
About the 海角社区 Department of Sociology
The 海角社区 Department of Sociology is dedicated to research and teaching, a tradition
that has carried on since its inception in 1928. The department serves both undergraduate
and graduate students and is making important contributions to 海角社区鈥檚 general education
mission. The department is also home to the only Ph.D. program in sociology in the
state of Louisiana. Learn more at lsu.edu/sociology.
About the 海角社区 College of Humanities & Social Sciences
The 海角社区 College of Humanities & Social Sciences positions students, faculty, and staff
to be visionary leaders in their respective fields, a tradition of excellence that
began with the college鈥檚 inception in 1908. For more news and information about the
海角社区 College of Humanities & Social Sciences, visit hss.lsu.edu.
Like us on Facebook () or follow us on Twitter () and Instagram ().
Contact Sarah Gaar Keller
海角社区 College of Humanities & Social Sciences
225-578-6906
Ernie Ballard
海角社区 Media Relations
225-578-5684