Southwest Louisiana was struck dramatically in 2020 and 2021 by four weather crises that had a cascading quality: Hurricanes Laura  and Delta, a winter severe freeze, and a spring flood.  While the Southwest Louisiana communities were immersed in the initial recovery efforts from each of these events, Category 4 Hurricane Ida directly hit South Central coastal Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes in August 2021. The challenges of recovery from such a "comprehensive" set of crises revealed the shortfall of human and organizational resources if each recovery specialty is recruited and targeted independently for only one aspect of the recovery of each disaster in isolation.   In addition, if specialists must be geographically local even more stress is placed on recovery.  Two disaster recovery professionals with a wide range of professional connections -- Julie Maldonado (Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network) and Kristina Peterson (Lowlander Center) -- reached out through their networks to address the extreme challenges in a more resource-comprehensive approach: invite engaged individuals from a wide variety of organizations to come together weekly via online communications to address the extreme, serious recovery challenges, forming the Disaster Justice Network (DJN).  

Three years later the Network has revealed the strengths of such an approach, and of course the challenges. Network members’ capacities and contribution to the efforts were highlighted in Summer 2023 at the Natural Hazards Workshop at the University of Colorado through sharing details about participants’ specific projects in a poster presentation made accessible through QR codes to the DJN website, which when combined and integrated, form the collective contribution to the disaster recovery crises.

The poster (below) includes Disaster Justice Network (DJN) partners who have developed justice-centered innovations or technology processes and photos of the partners:

  • Community water testing post disaster (DJN Environmental Working Group) 

  • Air testing post disaster (Naomi Yoder, Healthy Gulf) 

  • Citizen radio (Cynthia Richardson, Micah68Mission) 

  • Rebuilding the Boot campaign for resilient repair of structures: (1) technical brochures (Tim Reinhard, IIBHS); (2) tool lending from shipping containers for resilient rebuild (Rev. James Harris, Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church) 

  • Planning for pre-positioning disaster-response resources (Joy Semien, Knowledge, Attitude, Preparedness and Skills [K.A.P.S.] Disaster Hub) 

  • Small-house alternative housing post-disaster (Covington Thompson, April Ward, Prairieview University) 

  • Resident implementation of case management (Laura Olson, Jacksonville State University) 

  • Pre-positioning portable solar (Jack Martin, Appalachian State University) 

  • Communication networking of DJN (Julie Maldonado, LiKEN) 

  • Mapping petrochemical plants positioning vis a vis community protective coastal restoration projects that protect coastal communities (Sophia Mullen, University of New Orleans) 

  • Satellite imaging of roof blue tarps over recovery time (Hannah Friedrich, University of Arizona) 

  • Vehicle augmentation of car transportation with bicycles (Andre Angelle, Bike Kitchen) 

  • Timely recovery webinars (Simone Domingue, Louisiana State University) 

  • Student recruitment (Nnenia Campbell, Bill Anderson Fund) 

  • Bringing together non-profit groups to encourage agency policy justice (Lowlander Center) 

  • Resources distributed to women doing justice in crisis work (Lowlander Center) 

  • Internet accessibility, use and repair in rural, lower income communities after disasters (Jen Liu, Cornell)