RAPID: Hurricane Tomas: Post-Disaster Research in St. Lucia

Anthropologists Karla M. Slocum and Caela B. O'Connell, both of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will undertake research on the effects of Hurricane Tomas, which struck in late 2010, on Fairtrade farming in the island nation of St. Lucia. Although hurricanes and tropical storms are expected in the Windward Islands, Tomas' impact has been unique and widespread due to the pervasive landslides and flooding that occurred in response to the historically unprecedented rainfall as well as extraordinarily heavy winds. The researchers were conducting research on the transition from conventional to Fairtrade certified farming when the hurricane hit. The funding provided by this award will support their collection of post-disaster data on farmland disturbances and household economies, which will be compared to pre-hurricane data and also provide a baseline against which to measure future recovery.

This research is being supported through NSF's Rapid Response Research (RAPID) program, which supports research having severe urgency with regard to availability of, or access to data, including quick-response research on natural or anthropogenic disasters and similar unanticipated events. Disaster anthropology is a relatively new area of anthropology, in part because disasters are usually unexpected and mobilizing researchers immediately can be difficult. However, these researchers were already in place, ideally situated to collect post-disaster data. Findings from this research will help to evaluate the process of recovery, as well as any benefits or vulnerabilities connected to any particular system of land-management practices. Results also will be applicable to rural areas experiencing extreme hydrologic events worldwide.