My project aims to develop a map of Louisiana, projecting local income levels against areas subject to recent and historic flooding. By doing so, I hope to find the extent of economic ramifications related to floods in these disaster-prone states. This data could affect future infrastructure projects after use in damage forecasts, or be manipulated to view damage done, discerning which of these areas are recovering and which are not.
Data regarding income levels will be collected from the US Census. Following an overlay of floodplains and data recorded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), key metrics to focus on will be per-capita income, population levels, and local GDP, or the total output of these areas. Because census data for 2010 is not yet available, data from 2000 will be used. FEMA maintains a map of a 100 year floodplain in the area, aggregating flooded areas.
At the end I hope to deliver maps containing the per-capita income and GDP of each census tract in Louisiana. Further analysis can also be done afterward regarding a tract’s resistance to flood damage, as I analyze less affected areas for factors that may have saved them relative to surrounding census tracts. GDP and population levels will be compared to the rest of the state, each census tract being ranked according to global analysis among all tracts in their respective state. I will not focus on the absolute ranking, but its change over time in response to specific flood events.
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