Simone Domingue, LSU
Innovation and Description: Timely justice-focused disaster recovery webinars
The first virtual webinar, entitled “Climate and Infrastructure Funding: A Conversation on Justice Opportunities and Challenges,” brought individuals together from different sectors to identify environmental justice funding and capacity-building resources for disaster resilience when implementing community-led projects. The second webinar, entitled, “The Next Big One: The Ongoing Work of Disaster Recovery and Preparedness for Communities on the Frontlines,” focused on stories from community leaders and organizers in the Gulf South who are preparing their communities for future severe weather events and disruptions, even in the midst of ongoing recovery from previous disasters. The third virtual webinar, entitled “Hurricane Harvey Aid and Recovery Equity for People of Color Communities,” featured a panel discussion of community organizers, fair housing advocates, and social science researchers from Texas Housers and the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Other Participants:
Outside DJN: Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program (Caylah Cruickshank, Evan Chladny), From DJN: Shirley Laska, Kristina Peterson, Julie Maldonado, Alexandria Brahler, Alessandra Jerolleman, Naomi Yoder, Sheehan Moore
Primary Disaster Justice Benefits:
Resource-sharing: for example, we provided participants with resource guides pertaining to federal funding initiatives for environmental justice, shared Healthy Gulf’s Hurricane Ida Pollution report, and shared current research findings about disaster recovery justice. The webinars were also a venue for advocacy organizations to discuss their work and ways people can be involved. hose organizations included: Texas Housers, the Emerald Cities Collaborative, the Southern Economic Advancement Project, Healthy Gulf, and the Louisiana Just Recovery Network.
Secondary Disaster Justice Benefits:
Connection making across institutions and sectors, forum for dialogue
Would you recommend others (disaster survivors, disaster-impacted communities) learn more about the activity, project or program to consider adoption of a similar one?
Yes, depending on the goals of the group, virtual webinars can be a good forum for capacity building.
What refinements additional to the ones you have implemented would you recommend others consider if they wish to adopt the activity, project or program?
Having resources for planning and logistics are key; having a plan for outreach and communication about the events is also a necessity. Depending on the goals of the webinar, forming partnerships may be helpful to expand reach.