Marshall Shaffer was on vacation in London when Harvey hit his hometown. “I was monitoring the storm here and there and eventually saw that there would be no airport in Houston for me to come home to,” he said. “Being so far away and not being able to provide time and resources to help with recovery efforts has been really hard.”

Mr. Shaffer considers himself one of the lucky ones. His home and family in Houston are safe, and after paying a fare difference fee with Delta, he was able to change his ticket to take him to Baltimore, where he is staying with friends.

But for some, this unwanted “hurrication” can cause a financial burden.

Emily Paul of Houston was watching the storm from Seattle, where she was attending a friend’s wedding.

“Logistically, it’s definitely been a bit of a game,” Ms. Paul said. After multiple canceled flights, she and her fiancé are now scheduled to return to Houston on Alaska Airlines on Sunday, seven days after their initial scheduled return. “We tried staying in Seattle, but the bouncing from hotel to hotel was exhausting and expensive.”

“We don’t know the Seattle area at all, we don’t have the financial padding for this kind of emergency hurrication and then to watch and hear the terrifying stories coming out of our community, has been dizzying,” she said.

The couple decided it would be better financially and emotionally to be with family, so the two rented a car and are now in the Portland area until they are able to return home.