Natural disasters widen wealth gap between whites and blacks

Rice University
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David Ruth
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Amy McCaig
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Natural disasters widen wealth gap between whites and blacks
Rice expert available to discuss

HOUSTON – (Dec. 20, 2018) – From wildfires to hurricanes, it’s been a year full of natural disasters in the U.S. Jim Elliott, a Rice University sociologist and co-author of a recent paper about disasters’ role in the growth of the wealth gap between whites and blacks, is available to discuss this topic as the year draws to a close.

James Elliott

“Across the United States, communities are experiencing increases in the frequency and severity of natural disasters,” said Elliott, a professor and department chair of sociology at Rice and a fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. “The prevalence of these damages is worrisome enough, but equally disconcerting are the social inequalities they can leave in their wake.”

Elliott said natural disasters were responsible for an increase in inequality between homeowners and renters in the hardest hit areas during 1999-2013. The biggest gaps in wealth were between whites and blacks.

“The longitudinal study on which these findings are based was motivated by the reality that “these events keep happening,” Elliott said. “This is not a California problem, this is not a Texas problem, this is not a Florida problem. It’s an American problem.”

The paper, “As Disaster Costs Rise, So Does Inequality,” is available online. Elliott’s previous work on this topic, together with lead author Junia Howell of the University of Pittsburgh and Rice’s Kinder Institute, is available here.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Elliott, contact him directly at james.r.elliott@rice.edu. Rice is closed for winter break from Dec. 22 through Jan. 1.

Rice University has a VideoLink ReadyCam TV interview studio. ReadyCam is capable of transmitting broadcast-quality standard-definition and high-definition video directly to all news media organizations around the world 24/7.

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Photo link: http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/08/41917739_l-1mmn0e6.jpg

Photo credit: 123rf.com/Rice University

Jim Elliott bio: https://sociology.rice.edu/jim-elliott

Jim Elliott photo: https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/news-network.rice.edu/dist/c/2/files/2018/08/Jim_Elliott_PR_Photo-2fze2an.jpg

Photo credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

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