When It Rains, It Pours: Outcomes of Hurricane Harvey on Displaced and Vulnerable Children in Houston, TX

Abstract

This thesis is the first known study exploring the impact of Hurricane Harvey on students in Houston, Texas. Harvey made landfall in Houston in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and widespread damage. The present study investigates whether Hurricane Harvey had educational, emotional, or interpersonal effects on the children of Houston, particularly on those whose families were displaced. Additional focus is placed on students from families in positions of vulnerability due to low socioeconomic status and a lack of resources to mobilize toward recovery. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was employed in investigating these outcomes. Specifically, the present study first gathered, merged, and analyzed district-wide data sets in order to compare overall trends across Houston Independent School District (HISD) pre- and post-Harvey. Second, this study conducted in-depth interviews with a subset of HISD students to generate experiential firsthand data on outcomes at the ground level