Our Research

Our research is dedicated to understanding and improving the process of recovery in communities that are affected by disasters. Our specific area of expertise is post-disaster relocation, particularly relocation facilitated by home buyout programs.

We operate from an ecological framework that emphasizes the relationship between individuals and their broader context. Disasters are best understood from an ecological perspective as disruptions in preexisting complex systems. When disasters strike, these systems are affected at multiple levels, from individuals to households to entire communities. At the same time, the system dynamics that were in place prior to the disaster influence the community’s experience of the disaster and help shape the subsequent recovery process.

Current studies

DISES-EX: Integrating ecosystem services and stakeholder preferences to improve outcomes on post-buyout land (National Science Foundation Award #2408959)

PI: Elyse Zavar; Co-PIs: Jason Martina, Sherri Brokopp Binder, Alex Greer

The use of buyouts is rapidly increasing as communities face chronic and repetitive hazards. Few studies, however, analyze post-buyout land use through a socio-ecological systems (SES) lens and none to date empirically evaluate the quantity and quality of ecosystem services at these sites. To advance theory, this project builds on the SES lens to transform our understanding of how the management of open space acquired for disaster mitigation affects long-term community resilience. The on-going management of acquired land presents a growing and costly societal challenge, but it also presents an opportunity to improve ecological services and address environmental justice concerns by thoughtfully leveraging post-buyout open space. To this end, this study brings together an interdisciplinary team of physical and social scientists to examine post-buyout land management, with the goal of increasing understanding of ecosystem services and stakeholder perspectives associated with post-buyout land management practices. Using a mixed methods approach, data collected for this project will provide a comprehensive understanding of ecological services present on existing buyout sites, perspectives of residents in peripheral communities on current and potential land uses, and perspectives of government leaders regarding land use decisions and decision-making processes. This project contributes to a growing body of literature on nature-based solutions to hazard mitigation and climate adaptation that thematically aligns with NSF’s Build a Resilient Planet.

Place Attachment in Mitigation and Recovery: A Mixed Methods Study of Residential Adjustment Following Wildfires (National Science Foundation, Award #2135424)

PI: Alex Greer. Co-PIs: Ronald Schumann III, Miranda Mockrin, Sherri Brokopp Binder

This study investigates the role of place attachment in residential adjustment after wildfires. Households affected by wildfires face a critical decision point: do they rebuild in the same way, rebuild with new mitigation efforts, or relocate? Relatively few studies have examined the factors that influence these residential decision-making processes, particularly the role of intangible factors like place attachment. This study addresses these critical gaps in our understanding, with the goals of: (1) investigating residential adjustment among homeowners affected by recent California wildfires, (2) examining the role of place attachment in post-disaster residential adjustment, and (3) assessing the extent to which current place attachment measures capture the observed dynamics of place attachment in disaster contexts. Using three California counties as study sites, and building on a pilot study in these same, fire-affected communities, the research team will use photovoice method and phenomenological analyses to develop a deep, contextually grounded understanding of the role of place attachment in residential decisions. Additionally, the team will use qualitative comparative analysis to examine commonalities in household adjustment pathways after disaster. Study findings will advance both the theoretical and practical understanding of place attachment in mitigation and recovery. Given that place attachment is a foundational construct tied to many other aspects of recovery decision-making, this will be a critical contribution for US communities given the increasing losses to wildfire and other climate-induced disasters. Furthermore, study findings will contribute meaningfully to housing recovery policy, adaptation policy, and recovery and relocation practice.

Previous studies

From the ashes: mitigation policy after wildfire in California (Mitigation Matters research grant from the Natural Hazards Center)

PI: Ronald Schumann, III. Co-PIs: Miranda Mockrin, Sherri Brokopp Binder, and Alex Greer

Wildfires that destroy whole communities are increasingly prevalent, yet the natural hazards literature largely lacks wildfire-centric research. Now post-fire, California communities are struggling to facilitate an expeditious recovery that reduces future wildfire vulnerability. Absent federal wildfire risk governance standards, interactions between state and local policies become relevant for understanding how communities navigate this challenge. Therefore, this study investigates policy and practice barriers to wildfire mitigation in three California communities, asking: how does recent wildfire experience affect housing recovery programming, land use planning, and requirements for household-level mitigation?

Buyout Program Evaluation in South Carolina

Program evaluation being conducted in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council and local municipalities.

Exploring the Design and Implementation of Buyout Programs in Post-Disaster Settings (National Science Foundation Award #1844351)

PI: Elyse Zavar. Co-PIs: Sherri Brokopp Binder, and Alex Greer

The way in which home buyout programs are designed, communicated to the public, and carried out determines whether they achieve their purpose of mitigating against future disasters. This study examined the critical processes in the initial phases of post-disaster home buyout programs, examining decisions and outcomes in Harris County, Texas.

Exploring the Role of Implementing Agencies in Home Buyouts: Process, Equity, and Inclusion in Program Design and Implementation (Quick Response Grant funded by the Natural Hazards Center)

PIs: Sherri Brokopp Binder and Alex Greer

In the wake of recent major hurricanes, the federal government has funded a number of buyout programs that are designed and implemented by local or state agencies. Understanding how these programs are designed and implemented is paramount, given that recent research has suggested that design decisions have considerable impacts on participants. This Quick Response research explored the early phases of the design and implementation of a buyout program in Harris County, Texas, following Hurricane Harvey.

An Ecological Assessment of New York’s Home Buyout Program: Exploring Lived Experiences and Implications for Affected Households and Communities (National Science Foundation Award #1536217)

PI: Charlene K. Baker. Co-PI: Sherri Brokopp Binder

This study examined the experiences of households impacted by postdisaster home buyout programs implemented in New York after Hurricane Sandy, with a focus on the experiences of households and communities in the mid-term relocation and recovery period.

Place attachment and households’ residential recovery decisions after the 2013 Moore tornado

PI: Ali Nejat, Co-PIs: Sherri Brokopp Binder and Alex Greer

This study examined post-disaster residential recovery in Moore, OK, a community that was devastated by an EF5 tornado in May 2013, with a focus on the role of place attachment in relocation decision-making at the household level.

Postdisaster home buyouts and relocation: Integrating context and community concerns into disaster mitigation policy

PI: Sherri Brokopp Binder, Co-PI: Charlene K. Baker

At present, policy and practice related to home buyout programs are outpacing research. This study sought to address this gap by linking community-based research to policy outcomes, and by integrating community experiences and concerns into the national debate on the efficacy and impacts of home buyout programs.

Resilience and postdisaster relocation: A study of New York’s Home Buyout Plan in the wake of Hurricane Sandy

PI: Sherri Brokopp Binder

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, New York launched a home buyout program designed to encourage residents to permanently relocate out of heavily damaged areas. This study used mixed-methods to assess the relationship between resilience and the relocation decision in two communities that, despite similar exposure to Sandy, made different decisions regarding whether or not to pursue a buyout.

Resilience and disaster recovery in American Sāmoa: A case study of the 2009 South Pacific Tsunami

PI: Sherri Brokopp Binder

On September 29, 2009, an earthquake off the coast of American Samoa generated a tsunami that struck the islands minutes later. The local response to the physical impacts of the tsunami was swift and efficient, reflecting a core cultural competency of physical resilience. Cultural mechanisms for dealing with grief, however, proved insufficient in helping people manage the emotional trauma caused by the disaster. The unique experiences of special populations were assessed, and events were analyzed through the lens of the social support deterioration deterrence model.