James Kendra – The Conversation

Neighbors fill and pass a bucket of pool water to help extinguish a spot fire in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2025. Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Image

January 20, 2025

Amid LA fires, neighbors helped each other survive – 60 years of research shows how local heroes are crucial to disaster response

Tricia Wachtendorf, University of Delaware and James Kendra, University of Delaware

In emergencies, when every minute counts, research shows family, friends and neighbors are often saving lives. These local efforts go uncounted, yet they’re crucial.

Age can make recovery harder after a disaster like the tornado that tore apart Greenfield, Iowa, in May 2024. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

May 18, 2025

Millions of Americans are displaced by tornadoes, wildfires and other disasters each year ‑ who they are tells a story of vulnerability and recovery

Tricia Wachtendorf, University of Delaware and James Kendra, University of Delaware

Census data and research show all things are not equal in disaster displacement, as two experts in disaster recovery explain.

As flooding took hold in the Houston area, volunteers who suffered through Hurricane Katrina made their way to Texas. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

August 31, 2017

‘Cajun Navy’ rescuers in Hurricane Harvey show vital role of volunteer boats

Tricia Wachtendorf, University of Delaware and James Kendra, University of Delaware

Ad hoc boat rescues have become critical parts of disaster response efforts, a trend first responders have officially embraced.

An airboat driver rescues residents in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, where the ‘Cajun Navy’ of volunteers aided relief efforts. Jonathan Bachman/Reuters

August 22, 2016

Louisiana’s Cajun Navy shines light on growing value of boat rescuers

Tricia Wachtendorf, University of Delaware and James Kendra, University of Delaware

Improvised rescues, such as boat owners saving people in flooded Louisiana, have become an integral part of federal and state disaster response efforts.

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