Those Being Done To and Those Doing: Charity-Based Disaster Assistance in a Low-Income Hispanic Neighborhood

• In Event: 281 - Regular Session. Disaster 2

Abstract

In 2013, a tornado swept through a Hispanic neighborhood in an overwhelmingly white U.S. county. Previously invisible from the rest of community, undocumented immigrants and low-income service workers lived in mobile homes or charity-funded houses. Yet, half of the neighborhood was rebuilt within four months of the disaster. How was this rebuilding success achieved? What are the various perceptions of the recovery success? In this paper, I discuss the results from research during the first year of disaster recovery. Based on qualitative interviews and participant observation with organizational representatives and residents, the findings indicate the distinction in disaster recovery between the “giving” community and the “needy” residents, especially when charity organizations are the drivers of recovery. The recovery fostered pride among the giving community in their ability to support their fellow residents, but also generated debate about how much to give and for what purposes. A debate among the “givers” was whether they should support the residents to return only to their pre-tornado status which was living in poverty or help them improve their living conditions. This debate relates to the view that disasters are legitimate reasons to provide welfare, while poverty itself is less likely to engender as much outpouring of support. Meanwhile, the residents had no formal voice in the recovery process. In this paper we discuss preliminary insights from our work that highlight how disaster recovery and institutional processes can reinforce social divisions and exclusion while also supporting recovery.

Author

• Michelle Annette Meyer, Louisiana State University