History has been described as the experience of “One damn thing after another.” The experience of multiple ‘natural’ and technological disasters is experienced as “One damn disaster on top of another.” In south Louisiana and the mountains of West Virginia and Kentucky, this means the layering of natural and technological disasters on top of each other making recovery, resiliency building, and vulnerability reduction extremely difficult. Add the new reality of increasing weather events and sea-level rise, the problems associated with such layering are compounded, complicated, and confused. 

This layering of disasters creates unique issues that call for new and different approaches not only to research, policy development, and interventions but to strengthen our shared commitment to make homes safer, keep families together, and support health and wellbeing for all communities.