Hurricane Damage Exposes Climate Risks for Domestic Violence Survivors in Florida

When Hurricane Isaias began tracking toward Florida’s Panhandle in October, Tracie Hodson, director of FavorHouse of Northwest Florida in Pensacola, ordered the evacuation of the domestic violence shelter. Staff relocated 15 women and 12 children before the storm arrived, sending some to other facilities and placing one mother and child in a general community shelter.

Isaias made landfall near Destin at 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 9 as a Category 2 hurricane, with winds of 105 mph. At least four people died, including two in Florida. At FavorHouse, the buildings remained standing, but a fallen tree damaged the privacy fence and part of the shelter. The generator failed after about 18 hours without power, spoiling food stored in four freezers and two refrigerators.

The shelter stayed closed for 19 days. Its internet-based telephone system stopped working along with the electricity and connection, so crisis calls were redirected to Florida’s statewide domestic violence hotline and answered by Women in Distress of Broward County. FavorHouse continued outreach, legal assistance, meals and, when possible, hotel placements, but could not provide access to its secured and confidential facility.

The nearest alternative certified shelter was about 45 miles away in Fort Walton Beach. Another was approximately 140 miles away in Panama City. Hodson said the organization was not necessarily turning people away, but could not provide its full range of services while the building remained closed.

The damage also underscored the importance of physical security. Florida requires children staying at certified shelters not to be visible from the street, meaning FavorHouse needed a temporary replacement for the damaged fence before reopening. The organization’s generator was still unusable after the shelter reopened, and the fence and roof also required further work.

Linda Parker, president and CEO of Women in Distress, said her organization routinely receives hotline calls when other Florida centers lose service during tropical storms or hurricanes. She noted that repairs can take months: after Hurricane Irma damaged her organization’s back fence in 2017, replacing it took nine months.

Climate researchers say disasters can affect domestic violence in two connected ways. Extreme heat and storm-related disruption may intensify pressure within households, while damage to shelters, communications systems and other services can make it harder for survivors to find help.

A preliminary Climate Central analysis found that human-caused ocean warming added about 7 mph to Isaias’ peak winds and about 6 mph to its wind speed at landfall. The analysis estimated that roughly 36 percent of the storm’s total damage could be linked to the increase in landfall wind speed, although the estimated overall damage varied among agencies.

Research has also linked extreme heat with increased domestic violence risks. A 2025 study of more than 150,000 domestic violence calls to New Orleans police found that calls rose about 7 percent during heat waves lasting at least five consecutive days. Another study, examining more than 400,000 women in 42 countries, found an association between extreme heat and intimate partner violence, stronger than the association observed with drought.

Researchers caution that heat does not directly cause violence. Instead, it may worsen existing tensions and increase the likelihood that an incident escalates or prompts a call for help. Hodson and Parker both described a seasonal pattern in which hot weather coincides with higher demand for services.

At Pensacola’s airport, the heat index reached at least 105 degrees on 14 days in 2026. Climate Central’s analysis for Inside Climate News found that climate change made the high temperatures during several July and August heatwave days at least three or four times more likely. Hodson said FavorHouse was full during those periods.

The available data on domestic violence in Florida remain incomplete. A 2026 legislative analysis found that the state’s incident-based crime reporting system does not separate domestic violence from other violent offenses. The latest annual Florida Department of Law Enforcement summary covering domestic violence offenses dates to 2021.

Studies of disasters nevertheless point to increased risks. Research published in 2018 examined assault reports across Florida counties and found that counties spending more than 199 days under major disaster declarations recorded roughly 78 additional assaults per county per year. The researchers said disaster-related pressure, displacement and changes in household power dynamics can contribute to increased interpersonal violence reports, with effects lasting several years.

Those challenges are unfolding as service providers face financial pressure. FavorHouse expects a reduction of about 46 percent in its Victims of Crime Act funding next year, which Hodson said could force the organization to eliminate at least two programs. The agency estimated storm cleanup costs at $40,000 to $50,000, while the trees alone cost about $12,000. Because its insurance deductible exceeded the estimated damage, FavorHouse did not file a claim.

Florida programs have also faced cuts at the state level. A revised contract for domestic and family violence services in Orange and Osceola counties reduced funding from approximately $478,461 to $83,500, an 82 percent decrease. The circuit handled more than 11,000 domestic violence cases the previous year.

In Congress, lawmakers introduced the FEMA for Safe Recovery Act. The proposal would require disaster personnel to receive training on gender-based violence, place trained victim advocates in disaster shelters and conduct household check-ins with every adult rather than only the head of household. Its prospects for receiving a committee hearing were unclear.

Florida lawmakers separately approved measures raising victim relocation assistance to $2,500 per claim and creating a statewide injunction database. Those measures did not address the ability of shelter buildings to withstand or quickly recover from storms.

FavorHouse reopened around sunrise on Oct. 28, 19 days after Isaias. Evacuated families returned, along with survivors who had been housed elsewhere during repairs, and hotline calls were transferred back to local advocates. The fence had not yet been replaced, the roof still needed work and the generator remained out of service as hurricane season continued through Nov. 30.

Sources: Inside Climate News.