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Disasters as Learning Experiences or Disasters as Policy Opportunities? Examining Flood Insurance Purchases after Hurricanes

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  • Carolyn Kousky
Abstract
Flood insurance is a critical risk management strategy, contributing to greater resilience of individuals and communities. The occurrence of disasters has been observed to alter risk management choices, including the decision to insure. This has previously been explained by learning and behavioral biases. When it comes to flood insurance, however, federal disaster aid policy could also play a role since recipients of aid are required to maintain insurance. Using a database of flood insurance policies for all states on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States between 2001 and 2010, this article uses fixed effects models to examine how take‐up rates respond to the occurrence of hurricanes and tropical storms, as well as disaster declarations and aid requirements. Being hit by at least one hurricane in the previous year increases net flood insurance purchases by 7.2%. This effect dies out by three years after the storm. A presidential disaster declaration for floods increases take‐up rates by 6.7%. When disaster aid grants are made available to households, take‐up rates increase by 5%; this accounts for the majority of the increase in policies after occurrence of a hurricane. When the models are estimated taking into account which policies are required by disaster aid, hurricanes are estimated to lead to only a 1.5% increase in voluntary purchases. This overlooked federal policy that disaster aid recipients insure is responsible for a majority of insurance purchases postdisaster.

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  • Carolyn Kousky, 2017. "Disasters as Learning Experiences or Disasters as Policy Opportunities? Examining Flood Insurance Purchases after Hurricanes," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(3), pages 517-530, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:riskan:v:37:y:2017:i:3:p:517-530
    DOI: 10.1111/risa.12646
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    4. Che, Yuyuan & Feng, Hongli & Hennessy, David A., 2017. "The Geography and Psychology of Participation in U.S. Federal Crop Insurance Programs," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 259190, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Ortega, Francesc & Petkov, Ivan, 2024. "To Improve Is to Change? The Effects of Risk Rating 2.0 on Flood Insurance Demand," IZA Discussion Papers 17021, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
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    8. Diana Mitsova & Monica Escaleras & Alka Sapat & Ann-Margaret Esnard & Alberto J. Lamadrid, 2019. "The Effects of Infrastructure Service Disruptions and Socio-Economic Vulnerability on Hurricane Recovery," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-16, January.
    9. Matthew E. Kahn & V. Kerry Smith, 2017. "The Affordability Goal and Prices in the National Flood Insurance Program," NBER Working Papers 24120, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Qing Miao, 2019. "Are We Adapting to Floods? Evidence from Global Flooding Fatalities," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(6), pages 1298-1313, June.
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    12. Ambika Markanday & Steffen Kallbekken & Ibon Galarraga, 2022. "The power of impact framing and experience for determining acceptable levels of climate change-induced flood risk: a lab experiment," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 1-18, February.
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    14. Moore, Zachary, 2018. "An Examination of Recency Bias Effects on Crop Insurance Purchases in the Mississippi Delta Region," 2018 Annual Meeting, February 2-6, 2018, Jacksonville, Florida 266711, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    15. V. Kerry Smith & Ben Whitmore, 2019. "Amenities, Risk, and Flood Insurance Reform," NBER Working Papers 25580, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Meri Davlasheridze & Qing Miao, 2021. "Does post-disaster aid promote community resilience? Evidence from federal disaster programs," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 109(1), pages 63-88, October.
    17. Liao, Yanjun (Penny) & Sølvsten, Simon & Whitlock, Zachary, 2024. "Community Responses to Flooding in Risk Mitigation Actions: Evidence from the Community Rating System," RFF Working Paper Series 24-08, Resources for the Future.
    18. repec:ags:aaea22:335586 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Petkov, Ivan & Ortega, Francesc, 2024. "Flood Risk and Insurance Take-up in the Flood Zone and Its Periphery," IZA Discussion Papers 16922, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    20. Stefan Borsky & Hannah Hennighausen, 2022. "Public Flood Risk Mitigation and the Homeowner’s Insurance Demand Response," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 98(4), pages 537-559.
    21. Yilan Xu & Sébastien Box‐Couillard, 2024. "Social learning about climate risks," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 62(3), pages 1172-1191, July.
    22. Yuyuan Che & Hongli Feng & David A. Hennessy, 2020. "Recency effects and participation at the extensive and intensive margins in the U.S. Federal Crop Insurance Program," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 45(1), pages 52-85, January.
    23. Duc Duy Nguyen & Steven Ongena & Shusen Qi & Vathunyoo Sila, 2022. "Climate Change Risk and the Cost of Mortgage Credit [Does climate change affect real estate prices? Only if you believe in it]," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 26(6), pages 1509-1549.
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    25. Bradt, Jacob T. & Kousky, Carolyn & Wing, Oliver E.J., 2021. "Voluntary purchases and adverse selection in the market for flood insurance," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).

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