According to the United States Census Bureau, about 577,000 people living in the hurricane disaster area had high social vulnerability to disasters. Socially vulnerable areas typically have higher rates of poverty, unemployment, lack of healthcare coverage, etc. The disaster area suffered from flooding, property destruction, power outages, and unfortunately the loss of life. A lot of the hurricane disaster area is rural land, which may not have the resources to recover as quickly as needed. The hurricane disaster area also has a high concentration of mobile homes; around one in four mobile homes in North Carolina were in a disaster area. The disaster area also has a higher share of older adults and individuals with disabilities.

People and areas with less resources may have a harder time recovering from a disaster like this than other areas and people with more resources. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, there are wealth and inequality gaps in the ability to prepare for storms and disasters and gaps in federal disaster management and response efforts. Low income communities are more likely to face financial challenges in preparing for storms and are less likely to be favored in federal recovery efforts.