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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 bar graph shows that blacks have the lowest median household income out of all races.  This means that they are at most risk of hazards, they are most affected by poverty, with Hispanics being the second most affected.

Participants complete a 30 minute in person or telephone interview. They offer information about their mental health and physical health (the questions they are asked can be found here: http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/911health/downloads/pdf/wtc/wtc-questionnair….) Information is also gathered about where they were during the attacks, as well as their level of exposure to rubble and smoke etc. After this initial interview, there are waves 2-4 of interviews. These consisted of follow up questions as well as more in depth questions about hospitalization, health conditions, and symptoms. 

This study is published the Environmental Health Perspectives.  The journal helps explain the continuity between human health and the environment.  They publish topics like toxicology, epidemiology, exposure science, and risk assessment.  The publication is ranked highly among professionals and has a rating of 8.44. 

The main focus of this article is the unfair treatment and deplorable conditions in which those who are incarcerated at Rikers deal with daily. The article discusses how Rikers is often cast aside, for example the mayor did not develop and evacuation route for Rikers, but the rest of the city got one. There are needs for renovation and money, yet nothing has been done. There have been cases where inmates did not have basic access to medical needs and ended up dying as a truly. There are also cases in which it was documented that inmates developed illnesses while in custody of the jail and medical episodes were triggered by temperature, poor conditions and pollution. This is all discussed and exemplified in the article by way of examples from inmates and what they have dealt with along with documented statistics and facts. 

This article has been referenced in dozens of other papers on the topic of Katrina recovery and the effects the disaster had on its survivors. One of which is cited below: 

Adams, Vincanne et al. “Aging Disaster: Mortality, Vulnerability, and Long-Term Recovery Among Katrina Survivors.” Medical anthropology 30.3 (2011): 247–270. PMC. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.

There are far more articles that have cited this specific work, many of them having to do with Katrina disaster recovery specifically, as well as preventative measures or vulnerabilities that the area had pre hurricane. It is also important to note that the article is also discussed by numerous governmental agencies as well.