This document discusses building solidarity during disasters through student immersion and field studies. It provides an overview of resilience and mitigation strategies. The speaker describes their own field studies conducting disaster reconnaissance after hurricanes. Student immersion trips are summarized, including rebuilding homes in Houston after Hurricane Harvey. The Minority SURGE Capacity in Disasters program is introduced which aims to increase representation of minorities in disaster research and address disproportionate impacts. "Boots on the ground" field experiences for students are discussed, including visits to US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico after the 2017 hurricane season.

1. Building Solidarity
during Disaster
Reconnaissance:
Student Immersion and
Field Studies
Terri R. Norton, Ph.D.
Associate Dean & Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering
MATC Scholars – April 3, 2021

2. MATC Scholars 2021
What is Solidarity?
• Chat storm…
• “Solidarity is a unity of feeling or sentiment among a group of
people who share a common objective or interest, even despite
differences and internal inequalities that might undermine unity.”
(Edmond J. Safra, 2020)

3. MATC Scholars 2021
Outline
• About Me
• Definition of Resilience
• Mitigation and Recovery
• Conducting Field Studies
• Reconnaissance and Student Immersion
• Concluding Remarks

4. MATC Scholars 2021
I joined Bucknell University in July 2018. Prior to that, I enjoyed 11 years on the faculty at the University of
Nebraska‐Lincoln (UNL). Before UNL, I was a member of the technical staff within the Structural Dynamics
Department at The Aerospace Corporation. My research interests include structural dynamics and
vulnerability, hazard mitigation, disaster recovery, and reconstruction. I am a former Fulbright research
scholar and visiting researcher at Tohoku University-IRIDeS, where my work involved debris management and
reconstruction of the Tohoku region following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. I was a co-PI
on the NSF SURGE Capacity in Disasters program. I currently serve on the board of directors for the Earthquake
Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and I am a co-PI of this NSF Enabling Program.
I have a passion for educating,
encouraging and empowering others
– particularly underrepresented
students. #STEM-Multiplier
BS in Civil Engineering,
Florida State University
MS and PhD in Civil
Engineering from
Florida A&M University
Terri R. Norton, Ph.D., M. ASCE
Associate Dean for Students and Strategic Initiatives, College of Engineering
Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Exec. Director, Engineering Success Alliance
My twin sister and I are the only
engineers within my family. She is my
accomplice for all things fun…
The beach is my happy place.
About Me

5. MATC Scholars 2021
• Hazard - strength of natural event
• Exposure - inhabitants, industries, facilities
• Vulnerability - weakness of human-social system
• Resilience - speed of bouncing back
Definition of Resilience

6. MATC Scholars 2021
• We cannot control Natural Hazards
• Decrease the vulnerability (prevention)
– Building facilities physically stronger
• Decrease the exposure (aversion)
– Land-use control
– Temporal pre-disaster evacuation
• Increase the resilience (mitigation)
– Back-up, storage, response
– Insurance, special finance
– Business continuity plan (BCP)
• Combination
Adaptation Strategies

7. (Murao, 2017)

8. (Murao, 2017)

9. MATC Scholars 2021
Disaster Reconnaissance/ Field Study

10. MATC Scholars 2021
1. Select the disaster to be investigated
2. Determine the size of response (i.e. small local team or formalized
reconnaissance team)
3. Determine clearances necessary to gain access to affected areas
4. Prepare to go to the field (i.e. clothing, equipment, visa/passport,
immunizations, etc.)
5. Arrange team travel and rendezvous point – familiarize yourself
with the destination and safety procedures
6. While in the field – Data collection and reporting
7. Coordinate with other organizations or teams
10
General Field Study Procedures

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11
Virtual Clearinghouse/Recon Portal
https://www.designsafe-ci.org/

12. MATC Scholars 2021
Slack Collaboration
www.designsafe-ci.org

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CONVERGE Collaboration
https://converge.colorado.edu/research-networks

14. • Cultural competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes,
and politics that come together in a system, agency or among
professionals and enable that system, agency or those
professions to work effectively in cross-cultural situations (Cross, et
al., 1989)
• The knowledge and interpersonal skills that allow
providers/researchers to understand, appreciate, and work
with individuals from cultures other than their own. (American
Medical Association, Culturally Competent Health Care for Adolescents, 1994)
What is Cultural Competence?

15. MATC Scholars 2021
(Online Source: cbs12.com)
2017 Hurricane Season

16. MATC Scholars 2021
Student Immersion – Houston, TX
• Service trip to Houston (Oct. 18-22, 2017) to help with the recovery efforts
after Hurricane Harvey. UNL partnered with the Seventh Day Adventists
Disaster Response Team from Nebraska and the Little York Iglesia Adventista
Del Septimo Dia (local church) to repair two homes of their members
• Activities included drywall work, removal and rebuilding of a front
deck/porch and subfloor repairs.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/WYjnncMTy29ahVj52
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B82FvsXcA3rETjNCc3dwRjFNUE0

17. MATC Scholars 2021
Student Immersion – Houston, TX

18. MATC Scholars 2021
Building Global Solidarity (BGS)
• Immersion experiences offer Bucknell community
members opportunities to deeply engage with new
cultures while participating in meaningful community-
based learning situations.
• These perspective-altering experiences allow
participants to examine their own backgrounds and
biases while learning directly from our host
communities.
• For the 2019-2020 academic year, the Office of Civic
Engagement offered week-long trips to Houston and
Puerto Rico to support hurricane recovery efforts.
Bucknell Student Immersion

19. MATC Scholars 2021
• Service trip to Houston, TX (Nov. 23-30, 2019)
to assist with the on-going recovery efforts for
Hurricane Harvey.
• 16 Bucknell students and 3 faculty/staff
leaders
• Partnered with two local volunteer
organizations, Saint Bernard Project (SBP) and
All Hands and Hearts (AHAH)
• Activities included drywall work, removal and
rebuilding of a front deck/porch and subfloor
repairs.
Student Immersion – Houston, TX
allhandsandhearts.org

20. MATC Scholars 2021
Student Immersion – Houston, TX

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Minority SURGE Capacity in Disasters
Purpose: The Minority Scholars from
Underrepresented Groups in Engineering
and the Social Sciences (SURGE) Capacity in
Disasters focuses on two challenges:
1. The underrepresentation of STEM racial
and ethnic minorities in hazards and
disasters research and
2. The disproportionate impacts of
disasters on underserved racial and
ethnic minority communities.
THIS MATERIAL IS BASED UPON WORK SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
UNDER GRANT NO. 1744479. ANY OPINIONS, FINDINGS, AND CONCLUSIONS OR
RECOMMENDATIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS MATERIAL ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR(S) AND DO
NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.
Dr. Hans
Louis-Charles
Dr. Terri
Norton
Dr. Lori
Peek
Dr. Nnenia
Campbell
Mrs. Norma
Anderson
Dr. Jenniffer
Santos-
Hernández
SURGE Leadership Team SURGE Evaluation
Dr. DeeDee
Bennett

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Minority SURGE Capacity in Disasters
https://www.surgedisasters.com/

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SURGE Boots on the Ground (BOTG)
Goal: Connect the students to disproportionately
impacted disaster-affected communities
1. Conduct field survey to learn about and
observe the recovery efforts following 2017
Hurricane Season
2. Connect with community leaders, researchers,
NGOs and local government representatives
facilitating recovery
3. Participate in service learning and/or volunteer
activity to assist with on-going recovery efforts
4. Develop partnerships for continued
engagement

24. MATC Scholars 2021
SURGE Boots on the Ground (BOTG)
https://issuu.com/surgedisasters
• In 2018, the SURGE scholars visited the U.S. Virgin
Islands to explore the effects of the 2017 hurricane
season on natural, built, and human environments.
• In 2019, the SURGE Scholars split into four groups
and worked on a Food Security Project in St Thomas
(USDA), All Hands and Hearts Rebuilding project in St.
John, Infrastructure Data Mapping project in St.
Thomas with the University of Virgin Islands, and a
Heritage Research Data Collection in collaboration
with the University of South Florida.

25. 2018 BOTG
USVI- St. Thomas
25

26. 26
ST.
Thomas,
USVI
Reconnaissance

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San
Juan,
Puerto
Rico
Kick-off

28. 2019 BOTG
USVI- St. Thomas
& St. John
28

29. MATC Scholars 2021
Disaster Service
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cK4lU-ZVZw
DAILY SCHEDULE
6:00 Wake up, eat breakfast, pack
lunch
6:45 Boots on! Gather tools, load
the vans
7:00 Head to the work site with
your team
11:00 Lunchtime
15:30 Finish work and return to base
16:15 Nightly meeting
16:30 Dinner time!
22:30 Lights out
23:00 Curfew! All on base, doors locked!

30. MATC Scholars 2021
Closing Remarks
Multi-stage experiential learning process
(Bennett & Norton, 2020)

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• SURGE BOTG provided a field training and tangible experiences for
the URM graduate students in hazards mitigation and disaster
recovery.
• Connected students with academic researchers, disaster experts,
community representatives, and practitioners.
• The service projects allowed students to use their unique skill sets
to meet societal needs.
Closing Remarks

32. MATC Scholars 2021
Bill Anderson Fund (BAF)
Our Mission​
The mission of the Bill Anderson Fund is to
expand the number of historically
underrepresented professionals in the field of
disaster and hazard research and practice.
• Workshop Program
• Mentoring Program
• Disaster Dash
https://billandersonfund.org/
Bill Anderson

33. MATC Scholars 2021
Bill Anderson Fund (BAF)
https://www.wizathon.com/baf-disaster-dash/

34. MATC Scholars 2021
Thank you!
Contact Me:
Assoc. Dean Terri Norton:
trn005@bucknell.edu