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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.

Emergency response is viewed in the film from the perspective of a potential patient rather than the organizations or medical professionals. From this perspective it is easy to see how the public can lose faith in the ability of their hospitals and doctors to protect them. The public did not have the information to understand that the emergency response groups were working as hard as possible, instead many people were angry at the time it would take for an ambulance to arrive, or the fact that the hospitals had to turn away patients. This emphasizes the importance of communication as the emergency responders would have had more success if the public had been cooperative, but the public could not be cooperative while their feared for their lives and the lives of their families.

Emergency response is addressed in terms of aid workers involved in a long term aid project for war torn or poverty stricken communities. The article focused on the risks that these health workers take due to the greater likelihood of violence against health workers in these environments when compared to the average city hospital.