The Effect that Hurricanes have on Unemployment in Coastal Counties in the United States

This thesis aims to measure the potential effect that hurricanes have on unemployment rates in coastal counties from Texas to North Carolina. I used a panel data set that included all the county level unemployment statistics from 1990 to 2011 as well as the relevant descriptive attributes for all the storms and hurricanes that passed through these counties during that time period. I also did an event study to analyze the unemployment rate in these counties after a hurricane. The event study includes every category two hurricane and above that hit these coastal counties from 1990 to 2011