DENTON (UNT), Texas — The impact of a hurricane lingers long after the storm surge and winds have subsided. As hurricane season peaks, University of North Texas experts are available to comment on the lasting effects hurricanes have on a community. Research projects underway at UNT are examining how Hurricane Harvey has influenced housing, tourism-based economies and more.

For interviews, contact monique.bird@unt.edu or heather.noel@unt.edu.

Here’s a snapshot of hurricane-related research at UNT:

• Tourism and small business economic recovery—Assistant Professor Elyse Zavar is working with colleagues from Texas State University and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to gather data on the recovery of tourism-based economies along the Texas Coast, which is part of a larger, three-year study on small business recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
• Homeowner buyout program—Zavar also is a member of an interdisciplinary team looking at homeowner buyout program implementation following Hurricane Harvey.
• Household displacement—Associate Professor Laura Siebeneck is studying household displacement in communities hard hit by Hurricane Harvey.
• Short-term recovery—Assistant Professors Ronnie Schumann and Maggie Nelan are working together to explore the role of gathering places in short-term recovery efforts in areas most impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
• Implications on real estate market—Professor John Baen and Associate Professor Tammy Leonard examined how natural disasters can affect real estate markets. Baen’s research takes a look at the cost storms pose to communities such as the implications for the secondary mortgage market and government sponsored loan programs. Leonard’s research examines data to determine how housing prices change following a major flood. More details on their research can be found here.