When I think about Science I am drawn to the interconnectedness events. The study of science encompasses a great many subjects, but I am often concerned with its effect on social life and human patterns. Which is why an interview published by the Atlantic piqued my interest. It studied one the possible repercussions of Hurricane Harvey on future migration patterns. Boustan observes many different types of disasters ranging from “a bad winter storm to Katrina.”
I’m interested in how people respond to events, and Boustan’s analysis bridges the economy, important historical events, and political actions. He brings up how as an economist he would have assessed the risk of living in a coastal area and a hurricane risk area (near the Gulf) before purchasing a home while most
people tend to react after a devastating disaster. He brings up a past event, Hurricane Katrina, along with how government aid also affects the actions of migration (how people are willing to take higher risks when they are protected from them).
However, Boustan also brings up that no matter how much protection people living in high risk areas, as the repercussions of global warming get more severe the more likely people will move out of those areas.
The interview relays several interesting perspectives on Hurricane, it showed how seemingly singular events can cause catastrophic actions that continually ripple out – for years to come.
Works Cited
Zhang, Sarah. “Will People Return to Houston After Hurricane Harvey?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 3 Sept. 2017, www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/09/will-people-return-to-houston-after-hurricane-harvey/538719/.
