ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors consider practice strategies with a particular focus on community development practice and research in post-disaster sites. They outline factors including community responsiveness to disasters and community dynamics that are critical to how effectively communities can respond to disasters and focus on community development actions that social workers can adopt to increase community capacity. The impact of disasters on communities exposes the interdependency of humans and their community. An important and often overlooked element of community-based practice following disasters is research. Research can occur as soon as a worker enters the disaster area or be a long-term strategy to map the evolving development of the community. The authors explain how community cohesion and social capital may increase in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and, conversely, how deep historically rooted divisions can emerge. They argue that the importance of community level actions for social workers in disaster sites.
