America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers

Hurricane Helene’s Impact on the Socially Vulnerable in North Carolina

About 577,000 people (20.2%) living in the 27 counties in North Carolina under a major disaster declaration after Hurricane Helene had high social vulnerability to disasters, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Community Resilience Estimates (CRE).

Those areas and one tribal area that also received a major disaster declaration suffered catastrophic flooding, power outages, property destruction and loss of life due to Helene, which reached Category 4 intensity on September 26. Thousands of homes were destroyed, many of which were not covered by flood insurance.

Rural areas were hit particularly hard: 10 of the 27 counties were predominantly rural (counties with 80% or more of the population living in a rural area in the 2020 Census).

The CRE measures social vulnerability to disasters based on 10 individual and household factors from poverty and education to age and broadband access. Populations with three or more of these components are considered at high social vulnerability.

Continue reading to learn more about:

• High social vulnerability in disaster counties
• Older population in disaster counties
• Higher rates of disability in disaster counties
• Mobile homes concentrated in disaster areas
• Measuring social vulnerability to disasters

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