Hurricane-induced migration [Plot of the Week]

Impulse:

Hurricane Katrina, as pictured in the Gulf of Mexico at 21:45 UTC on August 28, 2005.

Response:

This map illustrates the national scope of the dispersion of refugees from Hurricane Katrina. It shows the location by zip code of the 800,000 displaced Louisiana residents who requested federal emergency assistance. The evacuees ended up dispersed across the entire nation, illustrating the wide-ranging impacts that can flow from extreme weather events, some of which are projected to increase in frequency and/or intensity as climate continues to change. (Source: Louisiana Geographic Information Center 2005)

The second plot is from Chapter 9 of the draft National Climate Assessment (h/t Kim Knowlton). It's simple, clear and very interesting. The NYT produced a bubble plot using similar data back in 2005:

which more clearly shows concentrations in urban centers, but which gets a little strange looking around New Orleans.

Related: labor market impact of Katrina on evacuees, impacts of Katrina on outmigration and New Orleans housing stock and labor market spillovers of hurricanes generally.