Characterizing Community Formation in Response to Extreme Weather Events through Human Mobility Networks

Abstract

Community formation in socio-spatial human networks is one of the important mechanisms for mitigating hazard impacts of extreme weather events. Research is scarce regarding latent network characteristics shaping community formation in human mobility networks during natural disasters. Here, we examined human mobility networks in Harris County, Texas, in the context of the managed power outage forced by 2021 Winter Storm Uri to detect communities and to evaluate latent characteristics in those communities. We examined three characteristics in the communities formed within human mobility networks: hazard-exposure heterophily, socio-demographic homophily, and social-connectedness strength. The results show that population movements were shaped by socio-demographic homophily, heterophilic hazard exposure, and social connectedness strength. Our results also indicate that a community encompassing more high-impact areas would motivate population movements to areas with weaker social connectedness. Our findings reveal important characteristics shaping community formation in human mobility networks in hazard response. Specific to managed power outages, formed communities are spatially co-located, underscoring a best management practice to avoid prolonged power outages among areas within communities, thus improving hazard exposure heterophily. The findings have implications for power utility operators to account for the characteristics of socio-spatial human networks when determining the patterns of managed power outages.