Delivering Expertise on Recovery and Resilience amid Unprecedented Weather Disasters

Urban’s experts in climate resilience provided actionable insights that helped local and state officials prioritize recovery efforts after Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated communities in the Southeast.

• Western North Carolina communities were particularly affected by Hurricane Helene. Within a week of the storm, Urban published an analysis examining housing and demographic data for the 25 counties included in the region’s initial Major Disaster Declaration. Urban also identified priorities for recovery based on our knowledge and experience of past disasters.
• The following week on the eve of Hurricane Milton’s landfall in Florida, Urban delivered a second analysis about the likely overlap of affected communities and challenges posed by the storms’ cumulative effects.
• Urban’s experts were quoted extensively in local and national media, including on CBS Mornings to discuss flood insurance; in the New York Times on the unique vulnerabilities of mobile home parks; in Streetsblog on evacuation limitations for vulnerable populations; in Marketplace about the economic toll of disasters; in Grist on compound disasters; and in Bloomberg on climate gentrification.
• Changemakers working in recovery and housing also used Urban’s research to inform their efforts and advocate for resources to address long-term recovery needs. Urban’s team advised North Carolina state officials with tools and information to respond effectively, specifically to people’s housing needs. Many of the themes discussed were included in the state’s final Damage and Needs Assessment.

Because of Urban’s extensive expertise in disaster recovery and strategic government engagement, our researchers are poised to rapidly deliver insights that illuminate both immediate and systemic needs. In 2025, Urban experts will work directly with affected communities in the Southeast to advance their long-term recovery planning, especially as it relates to housing needs.