Hurricane Risk Response and Healthcare Accessibility

This collaborative UMD–NYU project examines how Hurricane Helene disrupted access to healthcare and other essential services, with particular attention to uneven impacts across communities.

Technical innovation

The project integrates real-time travel data, hurricane-severity measures, county-level social-media sentiment, and sociodemographic information to connect environmental hazards and public response with post-hurricane mobility disruption.

Practical insight

The analysis identifies disproportionate mobility declines among lower-income, rural, and Black communities. These findings support more equitable emergency management, healthcare-access planning, and community-resilience strategies during hurricane events.

Collaboration

Collaborative research conducted at the University of Maryland and New York University, 2025–2026.