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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 diagram shows how different age groups suffer from povert.  as the years in age grow larger, the higher the numbers in poverty.

this graph is a perfect representation of the affects any thing can have on communities.  this graph can be correlated with things like natural disasters and their would be an increase in numbers.

children were tested for lead poisoning and their was a correlation between those who had lead poisoning and those who were homeless or a victim to poverty.

charts like this only show how any are in poverty.  whats not shown is how these people and families got to this point and what the common theme is between them