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I am interested in seeing how social ties and networks have been used to cope with (un)natural disasters. My research focus on places under disasters conditions such as Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria, in which social ties have made the difference between life and death. Furthermore, “natural” disaster has been used to approved austerity measures and unjust policies to impoverished communities like in New Orleans after Katrina. These policies were not new, as they are rooted in structures of power to preserve the status quo. Yet, people have resisted, “through a network of branches, cultures, and geographies” that has stimulated a reflective process of looking within for solutions rather than outside. As often this outside solutions are not only detached from community’s reality but can perpetuate social injustices and inequalities.

McKittrick, K., & Woods, C. A. (Eds.). (2007). Black geographies and the politics of place. South End Press.

Bullard, R. D., & Wright, B. (Eds.). (2009). Race, place, and environmental justice after Hurricane Katrina: Struggles to reclaim, rebuild, and revitalize New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Westview Press.

This article was created by Dr. Scott Gabriel Knowles, PhD, an associate professor and department head of the Department of History, Center for Science, Technoloy, and Society at Drexel University. Dr. Knowles earned both his Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Philosophy and his Master of Arts degree in History from The University of Texas at Austin. He later earned his Doctorate degree in History of Science, Medicine, and Technology from Johns Hopkins University. 

His research is focused primarily on risk and disaster with interests in modern cities, technology, and policies. He has authored several publications. He also currently serves as a faculty research fellow of the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware and is a member of the Fukushima Forum collaborative research community. 

The Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) was enacted by Congress to ensure that patients are granted and provided access to appropriate emergency services and medical care regardless of their ability to pay for the cost of said services and care.

The authors present a psychological, physiological, and physical condition known as "Chronic Disaster Syndrome" which, they argue, is a more appropriate diagnosis of those who have suffered through major disasters or catastrophes instead of the traditional Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. The authors present the characteristics and symptoms of this condition and make the case that they are exacerbated and perpetuated by government and private sector failures to sufficiently aid in the recovery to normal conditions by those affected by the disaster. Furthermore, they argue that this condition disproportionately affects the lower class.