The Impact of Tornadoes and Damaging Winds on County-Level Income Growth in the United States

Abstract This study investigated the economic impact of tornadoes and damaging winds on county-level income growth in the United States from 1969 to 2023. Using a fixed effect regression methodology, the analysis showed that an average damaging storm and an average tornado reduced income growth in t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Joel Huesler
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2024-12-01
Series:International Journal of Disaster Risk Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-024-00605-2
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Summary:Abstract This study investigated the economic impact of tornadoes and damaging winds on county-level income growth in the United States from 1969 to 2023. Using a fixed effect regression methodology, the analysis showed that an average damaging storm and an average tornado reduced income growth in the affected counties by 0.16–0.23% and 0.21–0.23%, respectively, translating into a one-time growth loss of approximately USD 5.6 million and USD 6.3 million. The findings also indicate that tornadoes have a 20% greater economic impact than damaging winds. This study underscored the unique challenges posed by tornadoes and damaging winds, which are characterized by their unpredictable nature and concentrated but extreme damage.
ISSN:2095-0055
2192-6395