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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.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are two agencies that many low-income families are enrolled in.  WIC provides nutritious food for pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants and children up to the age of five; it is specifically available for household up to 185 percent of the federal poverty lines.  SNAP provides low-income families with nutritious food.

This study determines if childhood blood lead levels correlate with educational achievement.  They studied this through standardized test scores.