Hurricane Sandy Affecting Marriages

 Posted on November 16, 2012 in Family Law

Hurricane Sandy touched many lives and destroyed a lot of homes in the United States, but some people say it will affect future marriages too. There have been studies on the effects of natural disasters on marriages and birthrates in the past, so could be possible to predict how Sandy affects these things by looking at past disasters. Slate reported a story about the situation and a possible future.

According to the story, when Hurricane Hugo hit South Carolina in 1989, declining marriage rates went up. Catherine Cohan and Steve Cole found that a year after the hurricane, the marriage rate was higher than past years, and a year after that it returned to declining rates like before the disaster. This is especially true for the areas that were hit hard.

It is to be expected that people will seek the feeling of security after a big catastrophe like a hurricane. People will likely grow closer to things that comfort them, and some people might feel like they see what is important in life again.

It remains unknown, however, what the life span of these comfort marriages is, so there is a possibility a rise in the marriage rate is precursor for a rise in divorce rates a little further in the future. Illinois was not among the areas hit hard by Sandy, so the phenomenon might not be the most visible there. Then again, who of us can see into the future well enough to say that Illinois will not see a change in its marriage rates because of comfort marriages. According to the Slate story, Hurricane Katrina momentarily doubled the divorce rate in Orleans Parish

In most divorce cases, the hurricane started inside the home, instead of coming from the sea. Divorces can be almost as stressful as natural disasters, so it is important to get a dedicated divorce attorney to help you through the legal issues involved. If you are planning to file for divorce or already did so, contact our offices today for an experienced Illinois divorce attorney.