After the storm: When recovery creates a community crisis

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The storm ends, the fire goes out, floodwaters recede.

Long after a natural disaster fades from the headlines, economic aftershocks can still push people out of their communities, not because their homes were destroyed, but because they can no longer afford to remain there.

A new Georgia Tech–led study found that rents were 6.5% to 12.5% higher than expected four years after a disaster. Similar communities that weren't hit did not see the same jump.

The findings are published in RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences .

Brian An, an associate professor in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy within the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, and his team studied two decades of rental housing data and federal disaster records from California and Florida.

"We often think of housing as a market that will sort itself out," An said. "But a natural disaster is not a normal market condition. Housing is destroyed. People are displaced. In those moments, renters can become especially vulnerable."

After a disaster, the housing market's usual rules no longer apply. Damaged apartment buildings mean reduced supply. Displaced homeowners enter the rental market while their homes are repaired or rebuilt. Construction, repairs and insurance all get more expensive.

Hurricanes and wildfires led to larger rent increases than earthquakes, flooding and tornadoes. For communities hit repeatedly, each new storm or fire added more rent pressure.

"When rents go up after a disaster, we're not talking about a small segment of housing," An said. "We're talking about the broader rental market. That means the effects reach far beyond the homes that were damaged."

For renters, the consequences extend beyond monthly housing costs. Higher rents can make it harder for families to remain close to support networks. Children may have to change schools. Workers may face longer commutes. Longtime residents can find themselves priced out of communities they helped build.

The findings point to a central tension in disaster recovery: Rebuilding homes is not the same as keeping communities intact.

Not every community experienced the same outcome.

Areas that received federal support through Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds saw smaller rent increases than similar communities that did not. The money can be used to build and preserve affordable rental housing, giving residents more options as their communities recover.

An said the study cannot prove that funding alone caused rents to rise more slowly. But the pattern suggests that recovery resources may shape who can afford to stay in a community once rebuilding begins.

As communities face repeated hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters, An believes policymakers need to think differently about recovery. That could mean investing in more resilient housing , expanding affordable rental options and strengthening protections for renters after disasters strike.

"Everyone needs a place to live," An said. "As disasters become more frequent, housing can't be an afterthought in recovery."

Brian Y. An et al, The Trajectory of Rental Housing in the Wake of Natural Disasters: Evidence from California and Florida, RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.7758/rsf.2026.12.4.03

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Georgia Institute of Technology

Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space.

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Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success.

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