From their home on the hill above Barre, Vermont, Doug and Rhoda Mason thought they were safe. It was July 11, 2023, and record rains were flooding their small town.
Then, shortly before 5 a.m., a landslide hit the Masons’ home. The mud hit with such force that it pushed the structure 10 meters from its foundation.
It was like a blast, said Doug, who retired 10 years ago. It was his 78th birthday.
The masons’ house was destroyed. They spent nearly two months looking for a rental they could afford while staying with relatives. When they finally found a two-bedroom apartment, it was in Williston, 40 miles away. Now, they’re nearly an hour’s drive from their family, doctors and shop owners they’ve known for years, even their mechanic.
It was all a lot of little things, Doug said, but to put it all together, it’s a pretty devastating time.
About 2.4 million adults were displaced by disasters last year, about one-fifth of whom were over 65, according to a recent census study. Although most displaced people are eventually able to return to their homes, even temporary setbacks like these present particular challenges for seniors, many of whom live on fixed incomes and have health and mobility needs that make difficult managing home repairs or finding new places to live. .
Experts warn that as the baby boom increases and the planet warms, the most vulnerable people will struggle to find safe shelter.
Climate change isn’t slowing down and it’s not getting any younger, said Danielle Arigoni, managing director at the National Housing Trust and author of Climate Resilience for an Aging Nation. There will be more elderly people, there may be more climate-driven disasters. The impacts of climate change will affect more parts of the country.
Millions of Americans of all ages are struggling to find affordable housing, with shortages driving home prices up more than 40%, and rents rising by nearly a third in the past four years, according to the National Association of Realtors and Zillow.
Climate disasters contribute to housing pressure. In 2021, one in 10 US homes sustained at least some damage from winter storms, hurricanes and other types of severe weather. But while wages have also risen (though not dramatically) over that time, many Americans over 65 live on fixed incomes, pensions, and limited savings.
The Masons lived comfortably on Social Security benefits and the part-time work they do together stocking brand cards in stores across the region. They had paid off their house, a three-bedroom cedar shake they had bought in 1982.
It was their original home, but they never planned to leave. I really understood that this would also be our last home, said Rhoda.
Even Masons could not move into any house. Because both have had knee surgeries, stair-step units were not an option.
In New England, which has some of the nation’s oldest housing stock, only about 20% of homes have basic age-appropriate features such as stair-free entryways and main-floor bathrooms and bedrooms, according to the Census Bureau. . About 40% of homes across the country have these features, but less than 4% of housing units in the US are rated as accessible to people with moderate disabilities.
We simply don’t have enough options that are affordable and accessible and well connected to services for older adults, said Jennifer Molinsky, who directs research on housing and aging at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
Even before the flood, there was a mismatch between Vermont’s existing homes, many large, older homes and smaller, more accessible homes suitable for aging, said Peter Anthony, 79, a state representative from Barre.
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After the flood severely damaged their longtime riverfront home, Anthony and his wife moved into a one-bedroom rental apartment in downtown Barre. They had started thinking about moving to a smaller house before the flood. We joke, but you know it’s a tough joke, that we had to cut back, he said.
The flood destabilized both homeowners and renters. Many elderly Barre residents feel trapped after the flood, said Shawna Trader, who runs a local LGBTQ+ support organization and a community group coordinating long-term recovery efforts. Some struggle with online help applications, and others are simply overwhelmed by the physical and emotional damage left by the storm.
The recovery industry leans digital and that definitely creates a barrier for many of our seniors, Trader said. The challenges are compounded for older residents who have limited mobility, health conditions or lack strong social networks, she added.
Social connections are key to climate adaptation and recovery from climate disasters, Arigoni said. When isolated, older adults have more difficulty evacuating or preparing for a disaster, she explained, noting that they suffer much higher mortality rates than other age groups during wildfires, floods and other storms. .
These age impacts sit on top of all the other disparities that come from being poor, from living in a disinvested community, Arigoni said. Age magnifies any other risk that person faces because of income, race, where they live.
The needs of older people are often not at the forefront of climate resilience planning, but they should be, Arigoni said. Policies that support an aging population, such as dense housing that is linked to housing and public services, can bring universal benefits.
Benefits accrue to entire communities when you think about climate resilience planning from the perspective of the needs of older adults, Arigoni said.
Many Vermonters, including the Masons and Anthonys, are still waiting for buyouts for their damaged property.
The Masons are getting used to their new apartment in Williston, but they hope to one day move back to Barre or at least somewhere closer.
It’s a very nice neighborhood, Rhoda said. But it’s not Barre.
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