Census: Disasters Displaced More Than 640K Older Americans in 2022

Census: Disasters Displaced More Than 640K Older Americans in 2022

An estimated 3.4 million adults, including 646,443 individuals aged 65 and older, were forced to evacuate their homes in the past year because of a natural disaster, according to a new Census Bureau tally that marks a rare federal effort to assess the uprooting caused by hurricanes, floods and other events.

Hurricanes accounted for most of the displacements for older adults (405,440) followed by floods (117,900), fires (91,699), tornados (70,673) and “other” (124,271).

Most displacements were short-term, according to the Census Bureau, which reports that 32 percent of individuals aged 65+ returned home within a week of evacuating. However, 24.8 percent of the survey takers reported that they never returned home.

The statistics were part of the Household Pulse Survey, which the Census Bureau started in 2020 to measure how the coronavirus pandemic was affecting the U.S. population.

If you have a client who needs help, tell them to contact their servicer right away. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also published a resource guide for reverse mortgage borrowers impacted by natural disasters that can be accessed at ReverseMortgage.org.

Published by

Darryl Hicks

Darryl Hicks is Vice President of Communications for the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association. In this capacity, Hicks writes for NRMLA's publications, manages the association's web sites and social media accounts, assists committees and the Board of Directors, and manages the Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional designation. Prior to joining NRMLA in 1999, Hicks spent three years in the Washington, D.C. bureau for National Mortgage News.