Suchergebnisse

Preface -- Perhaps an accident -- Alvarado, sea captain -- Jaime and Pepita, grocers -- Esteban and Manuel, distributors -- The General, Juniper, and Jesse : outsiders -- Acaso una intención (perhaps an intention) -- The moral of our story -- Afterword

Understanding the factors that lead Americans to racialize putatively race-neutral policies is increasingly important in a diversifying society. This paper focuses on the case of disaster relief for Puerto Ricans in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. I draw on a framework of racial and ethnic subordination with two dimensions: inferiority–superiority, operationalized by skin color, and foreignness–Americanness, operationalized by language. I conduct a nationally representative survey experiment that varies the skin tone (light or dark) and language (English or Spanish) of otherwise similar actors who portray hurricane victims. The results suggest that two stigmatized attributes, dark skin and foreign language, do not always render an individual "doubly stigmatized." Instead, for an already racialized group like Puerto Ricans, perceived foreignness may offset Americans' stereotypes about the cultural pathologies of a racial underclass. Therefore, this paper underscores the importance of a multidimensional and intersectional approach to the study of racial and ethnic politics.

AIMS: This study explores the sentiment expressed by Twitter users after the Harvard University report was released, reporting a death estimate of 4,645 Puerto Ricans following Hurricane María. METHOD: Researchers utilized the NVivo addition NCapture to collect Twitter data including the hashtag #4645Boricuas. Thematic content analyses explored emergent themes within the hashtag. Geographic information systems (GIS) documented the location of Tweets and differences across geographical locations among Twitter users. RESULTS: The themes that emerged in #4645Boricuas included: disaster phases, media, psychological processes, and politics. GIS documented that Tweets from Puerto Rico were more likely to discuss themes of psychological processes, politics, and resilience compared with disaster phases or media. CONCLUSION: The present data highlights how individuals engage with Twitter to cope following the trauma of natural disasters. In the aftermath of Hurricane María, individuals utilized Twitter to express their disillusionment with the government response to the disaster.

Objectives. To determine the number and causes of excess deaths in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria made landfall on September 20, 2017. Methods. We obtained monthly vital statistics data on all deaths from January 2008 through October 2017. We conducted a time-series analysis to estimate excess mortality in September and October 2017 overall and by age, sex, and cause of death. Results. We estimated a total of 1205 excess deaths (95% confidence interval [CI] = 707, 1702). Excess deaths were slightly higher among men than women (632 and 579 deaths, respectively) and found only among people aged 60 years or older (1038 deaths). Most excess deaths occurred from heart disease (253 deaths), "other" causes (204 deaths), diabetes (195 deaths), Alzheimer's disease (122 deaths), and septicemia (81 deaths). Conclusions. The number of excess deaths was similar to recent government estimates. However, this study is the first to identify the causes of death that were exacerbated by the disaster. Public Health Implications. An accurate estimation of the top causes of excess mortality can help authorities plan resource allocation for the island's recovery and for the prevention of deaths in future disasters.

Abstract
Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, severely impacting the island. In order to quantify the impact of the hurricane on the indoor air quality, we evaluated the fungal levels in households (n = 20) of the Piñones community for the period of 2018 and 2019. For each dust sample collected, the 36 Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) molds were quantified using qPCR assays, and then Shannon Diversity Index (SDI) values for the fungal populations were calculated. Homes were in five separate regions, regarding their proximity in the studied area. We found that for regions with reported least water damage, the SDI values were similar for both sampled years, but for regions that reported mid-to-high level of damage region, the SDI values were significantly higher. Households that reported remediation actions between the two sampled years showed similar values for the second year as those that did not report any major impact. Our preliminary data provides insights into the significant impacts of hurricanes into indoor fungal environment.

Although not always recognized as such, catastrophes are complicated systems that are built on the social production of vulnerability. This thesis considers how responses to catastrophes are usually built on an oversimplified understanding of what they are, and argues that more nuanced, multi-faceted understandings of catastrophes can guide us to more effective solutions. I situate my research in Mariana, a rural neighborhood located on the coastal mountains of south-eastern Puerto Rico, where, in response to the lack of aid received from the federal government following Hurricane María, leaders of the community developed the Proyecto de Apoyo Mutuo (the Mutual Support Project – PAM). I explore how PAM articulates and confronts the systems of oppression and marginalization that have produced vulnerabilities in Puerto Rico over decades. Then, using the conceptual framework that I'm calling 'dismantling vulnerability', I analyze the organization's response to catastrophe and the ways in which it has developed actions to address the root sources of vulnerability in efforts to move their community forward from catastrophe.

Introduction -- Data and Methods -- Puerto Rico Communities Before and After the Hurricanes -- A Strategy for Recovery in Community Planning and Capacity Building -- Appendix A: Community Planning and Capacity Building Courses of Action -- Appendix B: Additional Tables/Figures.

PurposeTo assess which partnerships were most critical during the recovery planning process following Hurricanes Maria and Irma. We discuss the roles and impact of different types of partners, barriers and facilitators to partnerships and lessons in collaboration during the development of the economic and disaster recovery plan for Puerto Rico.Design/methodology/approachThe Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) was tasked with assisting the Puerto Rican government with an assessment of damages from Hurricanes Maria and Irma and the development of the Recovery Plan. During the process, a small team compiled and coded a database of meetings with non-HSOAC partners. The team was divided into sector teams that mirrored FEMA's Recovery Support Functions. Each sector completed two surveys identifying high impact partners and their roles and contributions, as well as barriers and facilitators to partnerships.FindingsA total of 1,382 engagements were recorded across all sectors over seven months. The most frequently identified high impact partners were federal and Puerto Rican governmental organizations partners. NGOs and nonprofits were noted as key partners in obtaining community perspective. Sector teams cited a lack of trust and difficulty identifying partners as barriers to partner engagement. Given the expedited nature of disaster response, establishing partnerships before disasters occur may help facilitate community input. Early networking, increased transparency and defining roles and responsibilities may increase trust and effectiveness among partnerships.Originality/valueTo our knowledge, this is one of the few studies that quantifies and illustrates the partnerships formed and their contributions during recovery planning, and lessons learned.