ABSTRACT

This chapter describes the nature of mass, region-wide natural and technological disasters and the core Black social networks and cultural economy affected. It argues that the predisaster urban policies and technical modernization marginalized Black city sections and businesses and, in turn, heightened their vulnerability to and delayed recovery from natural and technological disasters. The chapter provides case histories of the urban Black community and two of the most costly disasters in modern American history: Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina. It extends the argument by showing that social and entrepreneurial networks of Black communities—with extensive roles for family, neighborhood, culture, and women's participation—provided viable resources for effective disaster impact and recovery policies in major cities such as Miami and New Orleans. However, in both cities, these Black community resources were largely excluded by policy-making authorities involved in the cities' development and disaster recovery programs.