ABSTRACT: This study explored how a process of community transformation emerged in post-hurricane Puerto Rico. Most post-disaster research focuses on community and personal losses while little is known about strengths and positive outcomes. In the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, vast structural injustices in Puerto Rico were made visible. In this grounded theory study, residents from different communities in Puerto Rico (N=69) shared their post-disaster experiences. Results revealed a phase-based theoretical model of post-disaster community transformation, with facilitators including a sense of community, posttraumatic growth, and critical consciousness, and barriers including leader burnout and interpersonal tensions.
Seeing more clearly
2020
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ABSTRACT: This study explored how a process of community transformation emerged in post-hurricane Puerto Rico. Most post-disaster research focuses on community and personal losses while little is known about strengths and positive outcomes. In the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, vast structural injustices in Puerto Rico were made visible. In this grounded theory study, residents from different communities in Puerto Rico (N=69) shared their post-disaster experiences. Results revealed a phase-based theoretical model of post-disaster community transformation, with facilitators including a sense of community, posttraumatic growth, and critical consciousness, and barriers including leader burnout and interpersonal tensions.
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