2024 Spring Seminar Series Seminar: Anna Rhodes Rice University

Soaking the Middle Class: Suburban Inequality and Recovery from Disaster

Abstract

Extreme weather is increasing in scale and severity as global warming worsens. While poorer communities are typically most vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change, even well-resourced communities will increasingly be affected as climate-related storms intensify. Yet less is known about how middle-class communities are responding to these storms and the resulting damage. The book, Soaking the Middle Class, follows 59 households in the middle-class suburb of Friendswood, TX for over two years after Hurricane Harvey to understand their recovery process. Through their narratives, the book highlights how disaster recovery fosters inequality, even in middle-class places.