Trends in Flood Insurance Behavior Following Hurricanes in North Carolina
Published in North Carolina Geographer, 2021
In the past fifty years, North Carolina has experienced damage from a number of large hurricanes. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) exists to offer federally backed flood insurance for at risk home owners. This study examines county level NFIP insurance uptake behavior after six major hurricanes in North Carolina to understand the relationship between experiencing a hurricane and novel insurance uptake in the following year, and finds conflicting results as to whether experiencing a hurricane is associated with a comparative increase in novel insurance uptake as compared to counties that did not experience hurricane damage. In addition, this study analyzes zip code level participation in recovery programs following Hurricane Florence as it relates to novel insurance uptake and finds that participation in disaster assistance is positively associated with insurance uptake.
Recommended citation: Cardwell, J. (2021). Trends in flood insurance behavior following hurricanes in North Carolina. North Carolina Geographer, 20, 2-12.