Social Science Experts Available to Discuss Issues of Class, Race, and the Environment, and the Nature of Responses to the Hurricane Katrina Disaster

Social Science Experts Available to Discuss Issues of Class, Race, and the Environment, and the Nature of Responses to the Hurricane Katrina Disaster

WILLIAMSBURG, Va., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- To assist journalists covering Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, the Environment and Technology Section of the American Sociological Association has compiled a list of sources and information related to the class and race issues exposed by the storm, and the ensuing disaster response.

These resources include: the names and contact information of experts; university-based research centers focused on disasters and related topics; and key articles and books available online. They are listed below.

Research in environmental sociology also provides a number of important perspectives journalists can use to guide their reporting on the causes and effects of a hurricane such as Katrina:

- "Natural" disasters have clear patterns based on social organizations.

- Disasters and the failure of emergency responses are normal, not
special, events.

- Worst cases can be expected.

- The response to Katrina followed a typical (dysfunctional) pattern.

- Who suffers is not random - minorities and the poor bear the brunt of
environmental risks.

- Disasters can create pressure for positive political and social change.

Expert Contacts on Disaster Response

These individuals will make every effort to be available for interviews as events unfold.

Shirley Laska, University of New Orleans, 2005RSS@louisiana.edu

Disaster planning and response regarding hurricanes and the levee system in New Orleans. Author of "Disasters Waiting to Happen ... What if Hurricane Ivan Had Not Missed New Orleans?" in November 2004. http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/o/nov04/nov04c.html

Lee Clarke, Rutgers University, (732) 445-5741, lee@leeclarke.com

Disasters, emergency response planning and organizational/technological failures. Author of "Mission Improbable: Using Fantasy Documents to Tame Disaster" - http://leeclarke.com/mipages/mi.html - and "Worst Cases: Terror and Catastrophe in the Popular Imagination."

Steve Picou, University of South Alabama, (251) 460-6347, spicou@usouthal.edu

Long-term community impacts of disasters. Recently completed a study of the community impacts of Hurricane Ivan on the coastal community of Orange Beach, AL.

Kai Erikson, Yale University, (203) 432-3326, kai.erikson@yale.edu

Social consequences of catastrophic events. Author of "A New Species of Trouble: Explorations in Disaster, Trauma, and Community and Everything in its Path," a classic on the Buffalo Creek flood.

Kathleen Tierney, University of Colorado-Boulder, (303) 492-6427, tierneyk@colorado.edu

Disaster preparedness and response. Director of the Natural Hazards Research Center, University of Colorado-Boulder. Author of "Facing the Unexpected: Disaster Preparedness and Response in the United States."

Havidan Rodriguez, University of Delaware, (302) 831-6618, havidan@udel.edu

Role of science, technology, and the media in the communication of risk and warnings. Director of the Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware. Author of "Disasters, Vulnerability, and Society: An International and Multi-Disciplinary Approach."

Expert Contacts on Class, Race, and the Environment

Robert Bullard, Clark Atlanta University, (404) 880-6911, rbullard4ej@worldnet.att.net

Environmental justice and public participation concerns, author of "Dumping in Dixie."

David Pellow, University of Colorado-Boulder, (858) 822-5118, dpellow@ucsd.edu

Environmental justice, race, and ethnicity.

Beverly Wright, Xavier University in New Orleans, (504) 483-7541, dscej@aol.com

Founder and Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice.

Timmons Roberts, College of William and Mary, (757) 221-2463, jtrobe@wm.edu

Environmental justice and climate change. Long-term resident of New Orleans and author of "Chronicles from the Environmental Justice Frontline" and new research on inequality and climate change impacts.

Research Centers
Natural Hazards Center, Colorado - http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/
Disaster Research Center, Delaware - http://www.udel.edu/DRC/
Worst Cases, Rutgers - http://www.worstcases.com
Environmental Justice Resource Center - http://www.ejrc.cau.edu/

Key Articles and Books
Natural Hazards Review - http://www.pubs.asce.org/journals/nh.html

Natural Hazards Observer - http://worstcases.com/documents/Natural_hazards.pdf

Contact:

Dr. Timmons Roberts
College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia
757-221-2463
jtrobe@wm.edu

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Association

Source: Environment and Technology Section of the American Sociological

CONTACT: American Sociological Association: Dr. Timmons Roberts, College
of William and Mary, +1-757-221-2463, jtrobe@wm.edu

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