Scattered to the Wind : An Evaluation of the Disaster Landscape of Coastal North Carolina

Abstract

Coastal North Carolina has had a long and intimate relationship with severe weather events, the outcome of which has affected the physical, economical, and social structures of the State. The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate historical storm occurrences in coastal North Carolina in order to determine a correlation between weather disasters and the initial settlement, sustained occupation, or abandonment of occupied lands. Utilizing geographic information systems (GIS) to explore historical hurricane tracks and shipwreck and land site loss, spatial and temporal analysis can provide insight into how the disaster landscape is reflected in settlement patterns and loss versus survivability, as well as the social, economic, or environmental factors that have shaped continued and subsequent settlement and trade in coastal North Carolina.