Lo Que no Nos Mate Nos Hace Mas Fuertes - Personal and Professional Challenges Post-Disaster

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Abstract

Academics have not been immune from suffering great personal and professional challenges in the face and aftermath of natural disaster, across Puerto Rico, Guatemala and the US. Participants will analyze and present their own situations while contextualizing the inter-connected impacts of the environmental disasters and especially their aftermath, clean up and stages of response, re-building, grieving and resilience. This roundtable highlights emerging, intersectional themes that include but are not limited to: austerity measures in the public sector and public debt, national identity, environmental health, socio-environmental health in context, militarization, emergency planning, death tolls, and international collaborations. Participation is encouraged from the Congress and we have specific topics presented by participants, including Nylca Munoz Sosa who will discuss Austerity Measures in the Public Health Sector. Antonio Barreto Amilcar will discuss Puerto Ricans and Worthiness; Howard Rodriguez-Mori will discuss Puerto Ricans in Central FL; Michelle Watts will present Disaster Response in Guatemala and Alayne Unterberger will present When The Professional Becomes Personal in Disaster Recovery.

Sub Track

• Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Natural Resources

Session Organizer

• Alayne Unterberger, Florida Institute for Community Studies

Chair

• Marta M Bustillo Hernández, UPR/School of Public Health

Presenters

• Nylca J Muñoz Sosa

• Marinilda Rivera Diaz, Universidad de Puerto Rico

• Amilcar Antonio Barreto, Northeastern University

• Howard Rodriguez-Mori

• Michelle A Watts, American Public University System