Exploring Homeowner Decisions After Disaster Strikes

By Mike Nolan

ALBANY, N.Y. (Dec. 18, 2025) — Alex Greer, an associate professor at the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC), has spent more than a decade studying hazard adjustments and relocation decisions in the wake of weather and climate disasters. 

In 2022, Greer and his research team received $299,825 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to explore the relocation decision-making of California wildfire survivors. This was followed by an additional $59,939 from NSF the next year to expand the study to include survivors of the 2023 fire in Lahaina, Hawaii, which prompted evacuations and caused widespread damage, killing at least 102 people.

To conduct their fieldwork, Greer’s team uses a qualitative research method called photovoice. Survivors take photographs in response to specific prompts and then participate in a guided interview process where they walk through their photos, reflecting on their experiences with the fire and housing recovery process. 

In Hawaii, the team partnered with the Maui Housing Hui, a local nonprofit that works to improve housing conditions across the island of Maui. Given the recent nature of the fire, the team opted for traditional interviews with survivors to learn about their fire experience and housing recovery process. Participants could then later share photographs with the team at their convenience. 

“I've been studying how people make decisions about housing after disasters since my dissertation. It's the worst day of their lives and we're asking them to talk to us about it,” said Greer. “Most people say that it's a therapeutic experience to talk through it and have someone care about their experience.” 

“One thing that's emerged fairly frequently in our research is the idea of place attachment,” he added. “We use an innovative method called photovoice, where we have participants take photos around their home and around their community, and have them walk us through their recovery journey."

In addition to NSF support, Greer was selected this year for the Havidan Rodriguez and Rosie Lopez CEHC Applied Learning Fund.

Generously established by President Havidán Rodríguez and his wife, Rosy Lopez, this fund supports a CEHC program that deploys teams of students and faculty to disaster areas, offering students valuable applied learning experiences while they provide meaningful assistance to people in need.

The funding enabled Greer to bring two graduate students from his research internship course to Lahaina in August. 

While there, they met with officials and survivors, conducted photo documentation of the affected area, completed a service project where they planted Ulu trees on a farm affected by the fire, and conducted a town hall meeting with residents who experienced the 2023 wildfire event. 

“I am used to having these conversations with my professor, but getting the chance to have them with policy leaders was really exciting,” said Ayesha Islam, a PhD student in Information Science. “The experience gave me so many learning opportunities and also context to better understand the recovery efforts that need to be made.” 

“It's very hard to sit at that table, have survivors tell you the things they tell you, and then not want to help them,” added Greer. “I do see our work having an impact as people understand what these survivors actually go through, and the policy changes that are needed to address those issues.”