Rebuilding lives after the disaster headlines fade
CU Boulder researcher Lori Peek with participants in the Gulf Coast-based youth empowerment program called SHOREline, which she co-created and that was designed to make fundamental changes in the lives of youth and their communities, including reducing inequality before and after natural disasters. (Photo: Jonathan Sury)
When headlines fade and emergency funding dries up, what happens to families still reeling from disaster? And what if a second or third crisis strikes before recovery is complete?
Lori Peek, director of CU Boulder’s Natural Hazards Center and professor of sociology, has spent years studying the long-term effects of disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Gulf Coast communities. For families already facing chronic inequality, housing instability and under-resourced schools, each new disaster compounds the trauma.
Peek argues that we must shift our disaster recovery protocol from short-term aid to equity-centered, systemic change. A powerful example of this shift in action is SHOREline, a youth-centered initiative Peek co-developed with Gulf Coast communities to build long-term resilience and shape inclusive recovery frameworks.
Principal
Lori Peek
Funding
Baton Rouge Area Foundation; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Collaboration + support
CU Boulder’s Institute of Behavioral Science, Natural Hazards Center, Department of Sociology; Gabriella Meltzer (American University); David Abramson (New York University); SHOREline and the Columbia Climate School’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness
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Rebuilding lives after the headlines fade