Human Mobility as a Response to Inequality in Community Disaster Impact During Snowstorm Uri

Abstract

Abstract Natural disasters may cause extensive damage to local communities. In 2021, the historically low-temperature snowstorm Uri hurt Texas by disrupting business and activities, constraining energy distribution and consumption, and preventing residents from accessing critical resources. To mitigate the adverse impacts of disasters and improve the preparedness of vulnerable communities, this study incorporates SafeGraph data to investigate mobility challenges during the snowstorm by aggregating foot traffic to measure mobility change and examining the varied impacts of Uri on people of different socioeconomic statuses. The results suggest: (1) when the snowstorm occurred, everyone suffered the same level of mobility constraint; (2) human mobility was constrained with extremely cold weather, and gradually recovered when the temperature raised back; (3) households of lower socioeconomic status have more loss of mobility; at the same time, they have a higher mobility recovery rate; (4) elderly people were less resilient to the snowstorm in mobility recovery; (5) road users altered from highways to arterial routes after the occurrence of Uri. The findings serve to enhance or restore critical resources to foster greater adaptability in all aspects of community resilience, provide evidence for offering additional care to vulnerable groups, and build well-prepared emergency management programs.