New Publication on Healthcare Visitation Disruptions During Hurricane Beryl in Progress in Disaster Science

CAI Lab is pleased to announce a new publication led by Dr. Binbin Lin. The article, “Quantifying Healthcare Visitation Disruptions Using Mobile Phone Location Data During Disasters: A Case Study of Hurricane Beryl,” has been published in Progress in Disaster Science.

Using Hurricane Beryl (2024) as a case study, this research leverages large-scale mobile phone location data to examine visitation patterns across more than 4,000 healthcare facilities in Harris County, Texas. By integrating human mobility data with satellite-derived power outage information, meteorological observations, and socioeconomic indicators, the study provides new insights into how disasters affect healthcare accessibility, infrastructure resilience, and community vulnerability.

Key Findings:

• Healthcare visitation declined substantially following Hurricane Beryl, highlighting the vulnerability of healthcare access during extreme weather events.

• Medium-sized healthcare facilities experienced the greatest disruptions but recovered most rapidly, while large facilities demonstrated the strongest overall resilience.

• Power outages and community socioeconomic characteristics played important roles in shaping healthcare visitation disruptions and recovery patterns following Hurricane Beryl.

This research demonstrates the value of human mobility data for disaster resilience studies and provides practical insights for strengthening healthcare preparedness and recovery planning during future extreme events.

For More:

Lin, B., Cai, H., Tian, H., Fu, D., Das, P. C., Sumiya, N. N., & Yin, Z. (2026). Quantifying healthcare visitation disruptions using mobile phone location data during disasters: A case study of Hurricane Beryl. Progress in Disaster Science, 31, 100623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2026.100623