Meeting ID: 910 9064 0750
Passcode: 626407
Despite an ever-growing body of research on post-disaster relocation, our understanding of the interlinkages between households’ and other community stakeholders’ decisions during this process remains limited. This seminar addresses this gap by asking: how do households’ decisions to stay, adapt or relocate following a disaster event depend on the relocation decisions of other households, businesses, and the NGOs? The study is based on disaster scenario exercises involving hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and coastal erosion, conducted with residents of two communities (n=49) in Puerto Rico: Comerio and Loiza. Our results indicate that households’ post-disaster decisions depend on actions taken by other households, businesses, and NGOs. However, these interdependencies vary by disaster type, social capital, and the characteristics of businesses and NGOs in these communities. Pre-disaster planning should therefore adopt a context-specific and interdependency-based approach that is tailored to each community and each disaster type.
N. Emel Ganapati is a professor of public policy and administration and director of the Laboratory for Social Science Research at the International Hurricane Research Center at Florida International 91¶ÌÊÓƵ. She holds degrees in urban and regional planning from the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ of Southern California, the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ of Pennsylvania, and Middle East Technical 91¶ÌÊÓƵ. Her research focuses on helping communities become more resilient in the face of disasters and has taken her to communities across Türkiye, Nepal, Haiti and the United 91¶ÌÊÓƵs, including its territories such as Puerto Rico. She has published in leading journals in public administration, urban planning, social science, and disaster studies. As a member of the National Construction Safety Team, she currently leads social science evidence collection and preservation efforts for the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) investigation of the Champlain Towers South Building collapse. She has also served in leadership roles on grants funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Florida Sea Grant (a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ 91¶ÌÊÓƵ System of Florida, and Florida's county governments) and other agencies. Her research and related service have been recognized by media outlets including The Washington Times, National Public Radio, CNN, NBC, MSN and The Weather Channel. She is the recipient of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) South Florida Chapter’s 2024 Allan Rosenbaum Educator of the Year Award, and the Florida Education Fund’s 2018 William R. Jones Outstanding Mentor Award.