A tale of two counties in the wake of the 2017 hurricane season

This paper reviews the economies of two small rural communities along the Gulf of Mexico in their recovery from the devastation of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Despite extensive economic losses, Aransas County in Texas and Monroe County in Florida appeared to be outliers in the recent history of disaster recovery. Within the first two years of the hurricane events, overall business sales bounced back while the industry mix shifted. Unemployment returned to pre-hurricane levels, but population losses and workforce outflows inhibited employment growth. The conventional community resilience measures understate both areas' recovery pace due in part to the government relief aid and adaptive capabilities that have accelerated rebuilding efforts.