Homeowners residing in predominantly white communities exhibit a propensity to endure the potential recurrence of calamitous floods rather than relocate to regions characterized by greater racial diversity and reduced flood risk, according to a recent study from Rice University.

The study entailed monitoring the movements of close to 10,000 individuals who sold homes that were susceptible to flooding and subsequently relocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

This program is the largest initiative that oversees the so-called “managed retreat” across the United States. The dataset encompassed comprehensive information such as the addresses involved in the residential relocation, flood vulnerability of distinct locations, the ethnic and racial composition of the respective communities, average housing values, and other relevant factors.

“We found that across the U.S., the best predictor of the risk level at which homeowners voluntarily retreat is not whether they live in a coastal or inland area, or whether they live in a big city or a small town,” the researchers explain. “It is the racial composition of their immediate neighborhood.”

The researchers found that homeowners in predominantly white neighborhoods were willing to accept a 30% higher flood risk before they would countenance moving to a majority-Black neighborhood. The findings emerged after accounting for a wide range of communities, including urban, rural, and coastal.

Universal tendencies

The study found a few tendencies that were common across communities. For instance, regardless of location, most homeowners didn’t want to move very far. Indeed, the average distance between old and new homes was just over 7 miles, with nearly 75% staying within 20 miles of the high-risk home.

“In other words, homeowners are not migrating long distances to safer towns, states and regions,” the researchers explain. “They are moving within their neighborhoods and between nearby areas.”

Despite this movement being relatively short in terms of distance, it was often enough to significantly reduce the flood risk, however. The data found that the average flood risk reduction was 63%.

“This shows that sustained community attachment and risk reduction can go together,” the authors conclude. “But, these dynamics remain deeply divided by race, especially for those living in majority-white communities.”