Houses in New Orleans were crushed and swept off their foundations by the flooding from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Newswise — ALBANY, N.Y. (Feb. 4, 2025) — With environmental disasters such as hurricanes, floods and wildfires becoming more frequent and severe, government agencies are looking for ways to reduce hazard exposure, including using federal funds for home buyout programs.
Home buyouts are programs that allow homeowners to sell their properties to the government for pre-disaster fair market value. The goal is to reduce the impact of future disasters by removing properties from areas that are at risk.
Alex Greer, an associate professor at the University at Albany's , has spent the past decade studying hazard adjustments and relocation decisions in the wake of weather and climate disasters, including recent wildfires in California and Hawaii.
He’s partnering with researchers at the University of North Texas, Texas State University, and BrokoppBinder Research and Consulting on a $738,000 project, funded by the National Science Foundation, that aims to gain a better understanding of how post-buyout land is used and managed.
We caught up with him to learn more about the project and the residential decision-making process around disasters.
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