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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.

"Child poverty is becoming more concentrated."

"It is no coincidence that the County’s municipalities with the highest child poverty rates are one and the same as the County’s majority-black municipalities. Sixty-three percent of poor families in high child-poverty cities are black."

The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) was referred in the article, which is a deprivation index used in the United Kingdom.

1. There is some sort of racism going on towards black people financially.

2. The amount of people in poverty are greater than expected.

3. The poverty rate is increasing faster than expected.

This article goes in depth with how the children are being exposed to lead in their water and how that actually leads to them doing worse on exams or standardized tests. This was supported through tests and research.