Natural Hazards Center

Looking Through Different Filters

Culture and Bureaucracy in the Aftermath of Disaster

By Nnenia Campbell

In the aftermath of a disaster, in an effort to restore a sense of normalcy, outside disaster response groups often take over entirely, despite knowing little about the local setting. This command-and-control approach has created conflict in disaster-stricken communities, hindered the effectiveness of local disaster-relief activities, and introduced additional delays into the disaster-recovery process.

Disaster Quilts and Quilters

Giving and Receiving

By Elaine Enarson

Like other people who speak through song, murals, books, and movies, disaster quilters give expression to human loss and renewal. Whatever the context, quilting brings people, especially women, together, building community solidarity and enriching the lives of those who give as much as those who receive.

The Case for Capitals

Leveraging Key Resources in a Catastrophic Event

By Rachael Piltch Loeb

By defining political capital in the context of disaster recovery and community resilience, and then exploring how it can operate at an individual and community level, we can understand how the pioneering Long Term Recovery Groups in New Jersey set an example that could serve many communities across the nation during recovery.

The Sendai Agreement and Disaster Risk Reduction

Conceptual Influences from the Field of Disability Studies

By Laura M. Stough and Donghyun Kang

Unlike its predecessors, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 not only mentions persons with disabilities and their experiences with disaster, it uses language and concepts deeply rooted in the history of disability studies.

Sandy on Staten Island

Culture, Barriers to Recovery, and the Question of Resilience

By Alexa Dietrich

For Staten Island, the most suburban of New York City’s five boroughs, the damage and loss of life caused by Superstorm Sandy was particularly devastating. This disparity between the other boroughs was due, in part, to distinct underlying cultural factors.