This chapter assesses how the effects of Hurricane Harvey in August of 2017 were especially painful for immigrant families, many of whom feared that reporting property damage and losses caused by the storm would draw negative attention from governmental authorities. The Kaiser Family Foundation published survey findings on the impact of Harvey on immigrants living along the Texas Gulf Coast. The findings show that immigrants with homes hit by Harvey reported feeling more worried about seeking help for storm-related damages than their native-born counterparts. About 34% of immigrants responded that they were very worried that reaching out for help would highlight their own or a family member’s status. Immigrants were also less likely to have flood or home insurance, or to apply for governmental disaster assistance. Notably, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s policies do not guarantee Disaster Unemployment Assistance to undocumented individuals. For these reasons, fear of disclosing immigration status may act as a barrier to immigrants seeking help and to broader efforts to ameliorate storm damage and safeguard health in the wake of natural disasters.
The economics of an integrated CO2 capture and sequestration system: Texas Gulf Coast case study
