This collaborative project applied a social vulnerability to disasters perspective to the 2021 Texas Winter Storm Uri to advance knowledge of the socially uneven impacts of cascading disasters, and disaster vulnerabilities experienced by subsidized rental housing residents. Winter Storm Uri comprised three arctic fronts that lasted from February 10 to 20, 2021. As numerous Texas counties faced record low temperatures, the state’s largest electric grid operator (Electric Reliability Council of Texas [ERCOT]) lost control of the power supply serving most of Texas, and more than five million people lost access to electricity. More than 69% of the Texas population was without power and 49% without running water at some point during this storm. Uri has caused 130 billion (USD) in economic losses and at least 111 deaths statewide. The purpose of this project was to conduct a comprehensive and comparative analysis of the cascading impacts of Winter Storm Uri on residents of metropolitan Texas. It relied on collecting social survey data regarding households’ experiences and analyzing data from this survey and other secondary sources. The survey underpinning this project was conducted by cellular phone in English and Spanish with 896 randomly selected households residing in counties that comprise eight Texas metropolitan areas: Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, McAllen, El Paso, Beaumont-Port Arthur, and Lubbock. This included 147 households living in US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-assisted rental housing developments and 749 households residing in private (not HUD-assisted) homes.

In terms of intellectual merit, this project has made important strides toward enhancing scientific knowledge of socially unequal impacts of cascading disasters and disaster vulnerabilities experienced by residents of federally subsidized rental housing, in particular. Previous studies of disaster impacts provide very limited knowledge of how cascading exposures and infrastructure failures may synergize to harm well-being for marginalized populations and how socially vulnerable communities can become more resilient to such extreme events. Additionally, only a few studies had focused on the adverse impacts experienced by federally subsidized rental housing residents--individuals who are particularly vulnerable across all phases of a disaster or extreme event. By systematically investigating the social, physical, and built environment determinants of the 2021 Winter Storm Uri’s multifaceted effects—based on comparisons between subsidized multifamily vs. private housing, residence within vs. outside the ERCOT grid, and across eight metropolitan areas in Texas—our project is transforming fundamental knowledge of social vulnerability to cascading disasters. Additionally, it is advancing knowledge regarding disaster vulnerabilities experienced by two disadvantaged and understudied groups—HUD-assisted rental housing residents and people with disabilities. Findings emerging from our analyses of phone survey data reveal significant disparities in the adverse impacts of Winter Storm Uri (e.g., power/water outages, colder temperatures, post-traumatic stress, and levels of recovery) across metropolitan Texans based on minority racial/ethnic status, subsidized housing residency, and disability status. Project findings are also demonstrating how the COVID-19 pandemic amplified the cascading effects of this storm on residents’ health and well-being.

In terms of broader impacts, project outcomes include enhanced public knowledge of community vulnerability to disasters and increased participation of individuals from underrepresented groups in hazards research. Project data and findings are being disseminated via multiple outlets. Analyses of survey data have provided the basis for three articles that are currently in review with top-tier academic journals (American Journal of Public Health, Social Science & Medicine, and Disability & Health Journal) and three additional manuscripts that are currently in preparation, as well as five presentations at professional conferences and invited colloquia. We are also in the process of developing a project website to provide residents, decision-makers, practitioners, researchers, and educators with access to information about adverse impacts of the 2021 Texas Winter Storm and findings of our analyses. Through these different channels, our project is increasing knowledge of factors influencing social vulnerability to cascading disasters and extending societal impacts beyond the academic community. Funded education and research training opportunities were provided to four students, all of whom are either from historically underrepresented backgrounds or first-generation college students, both at the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Utah. We recruited and employed two graduate students who are in the process of completing their Masters’ thesis on project-related topics, and two undergraduate students as REU participants. All students were involved in conducting project-related data analyses, and coauthoring papers for conference presentations and journal publications.

Last Modified: 08/27/2022
Modified by: Jayajit Chakraborty