By Posey Graber
In mid-July, a small town near San Antonio, Texas experienced extreme flooding, leaving hundreds of people stranded and needing to be rescued. At least two people have been killed, and thousands of homes are destroyed. Devastatingly, this is not the first or even the worst environmental catastrophe that Texas’ Hill Country has endured. Last July, more than 100 people died from severe flooding, and many of those who did survive are still living in temporary housing. Natural disasters similar to this one not only cause immediate destruction and devastation, but also contribute to a long-standing housing crisis for the victims.
When a natural disaster occurs, citizens can be driven towards homelessness due to a few different reasons. Mainly, buildings can be destroyed by the event, leaving community members without their home and belongings. Unfortunately, insurance does not always cover the entirety of the losses, making it all the more difficult for the victims to recover. Other times, people may become unhoused from the long-term effects of the event. Financial hardships from business closures and job loss, high costs of rebuilding, or needing to pay for temporary housing can exhaust savings and result in homelessness. When natural disasters occur, renters and low-income households are at especially high risk of ending up homeless because they have much less power over what happens directly after a disaster hits regarding housing.
Last year was one of the nation’s costliest natural disasters. The Los Angeles wildfires not only stole the homes of famous and wealthy people, but also those who were low-income and already in temporary housing. One building that was destroyed by the fires was a sober living house; this was home to many residents who were previously unhoused at some point. Sean Brown was one of the evacuees who stated: “I had nothing but the clothes on my back. It just brought back all of those feelings of being homeless and a drug addict” (Hart, 2025). Nearly 50 people were displaced from just that one building burning down.
Los Angeles had actually seen a decrease in homeless people in the time leading up to the wildfires, but the aftermath of the event left more than 16,000 housing structures completely destroyed (2025). Resources and funding were already strained for the homeless community, and the natural disaster only tightened the budget, leaving thousands struggling. A recent survey shows that from 2,000 survivors of the wildfires, 7 out of 10 were still displaced a year after the event, and nearly 50% say they have depleted a major amount of their savings (Watanabe, 2026). Natural disasters can be extremely unpredictable, making recovery even more difficult. Having a protocol in place that specifically plans to prevent displacement as much as possible could help avoid a great number of people from becoming homeless.
Natural disasters affect more than just buildings; they directly impact people and their livelihoods. Preventing homelessness means more than just rebuilding, it means creating affordable housing, emergency assistance, and long-term support for the victims. Recognizing which communities are especially at risk can help towns and cities be more prepared for who might be vulnerable to becoming unhoused in the event of a natural disaster. As catastrophic environmental events happen more frequently, preventing victims from becoming unhoused needs to be a part of the disaster response plan.
References:
Ablon, M. (2026, June 23). Texas Hill Country leaders discuss housing recovery progress nearly a year after devastating July 4 floods. CBS Texas. https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-hill-country-flooding-housing-recovery-6-23-2026/(CBS News)
Keller, C. L., & Boone, R. (2026, July 18). Texas Hill Country floods test new warning systems after last year’s deadly disaster. U.S. News & World Report. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/texas/articles/2026-07-18/texas-hill-country-floods-test-new-warning-systems-after-last-years-deadly-disaster (AP News)
Lewis, S. (2024, January 30). On the connection between climate change and homelessness. Community Solutions. https://community.solutions/research-posts/on-the-connection-between-climate-change-and-homelessness/ (Community Solutions)
National Coalition for the Homeless. (2009, September). Natural disasters and homelessness.https://nationalhomeless.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Natural-Disasters-and-Homelessness-Fact-Sheet-2009.pdf
Watanabe, T. (2026). Donors raised $1 billion for Palisades and Eaton fire relief—but it’s not nearly enough. California Community Foundation. https://www.calfund.org/news-and-events/donors-raised-1-billion-for-palisades-and-eaton-fire-relief-but-its-not-nearly-enough/ (calfund.org)