Citation

Wisner B. Int. J. Mass Emerg. Disasters 2003; 21(3): 57-66.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, International Sociological Association, International Research Committee on Disasters)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

There is an anthropological and sociological literature dealing with emergent organizations in disaster situations. Less is known about the ways in which preexisting organizations learn new skills in order rapidly to be able to provide a new range of services in a postdisaster situation. The case study of Tepeyac, an immigrant workers' rights, social service, and cultural organization serving Hispanics in New York City, provides some preliminary insight into the flexibility of such organization and highlights the potential of other similar organizations as a community resource in disasters elsewhere in the U.S. and perhaps elsewhere in the world.