Major catastrophic events affect everyone.  Most often, these are geographically centered, and the effects are felt by both the wealthy and the poor.  However, the economic implications differ greatly based on a person’s relative wealth.  In some ways, the wealthy are insulated from certain results because they have the money to “ride out” the difficulties.  For those in poverty, there is a little buffer and a major catastrophic event may cause irreparable damage.
In this case, the study explores a localized catastrophic event that took place within the last 10 years.  It must be localized (within a city or region) and disruptive.