Survivor experiences with disasters provide key knowledge concerning the physical, economic, and social systems most disrupted and least recovered. Yet, after a disaster, survivors are hard to find. When they have not been displaced, they are understandably focused on their immediate recovery needs and health concerns \u2014 or weary of outside groups, including researchers, who might take advantage of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other words: it is a lot of work for disaster survivors to participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Project to Build Resilience and Innovation through Diverse Group Engagement (Project BRIDGE<\/a>) was active in Robeson County, North Carolina from 2018 to 2021. A team of community specialists and university researchers worked together to collect and analyze over 80 interviews \u2014 most of which were audio and video, recorded with the permission of the participant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These interviews formed the basis for deep listening and reflection on common themes and creative conflicts arising in the communities of Robeson County. One theme we noticed was that survivors wanted to know how to best relate to the river and its management under conditions of climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n