Transboundary Impacts of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake Disaster: Focus on Legal Dilemmas in South Florida

Authors

  • Alka Sapat Florida Atlantic University
  • Ann-Margaret Esnard Florida Atlantic University

Keywords:

Transboundary crises and disasters, displacement, immigration and citizenship issues, Temporary Protection Status, diaspora, Haiti earthquake, Crisis y desastres transfronterizos, desplazamiento, inmigración y ciudadanía, Estatus de Protección Temporal,

Abstract

Catastrophic disasters affect not just the areas/regions and countries where they strike, but also have transboundary effects and repercussions on neighboring countries, which often serve as receiving areas for displaced survivors. South Florida, for example, served as a receiving area for earthquake survivors after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. To understand the transboundary sociolegal impacts on host communities, we draw theoretical insights from research on transboundary crises and interviewed key members of school districts, city and county governments, non-profit organizations, relief task forces, the Haitian-American diaspora, and local government agencies. We also looked at relevant plans/policies modified by governmental and non-governmental institutions in response to the legal issues that arose. The findings highlight the manner in which street-level workers in state and non-state organizations deal with legal complexities and ramifications, along with the role played by the Haitian-American diaspora actors and their networks.

Los desastres por catástrofes no afectan solo a las áreas/regiones y países a los que golpean, sino que también tienen efectos transfronterizos y repercuten en los países vecinos, que a menudo sirven como áreas de recepción para los sobrevivientes desplazados. El sur de Florida, por ejemplo, sirvió como área de acogida para los supervivientes del terremoto de Haiti de 2010. Para entender el impacto sociojurídico a nivel transfronterizo en las comunidades de acogida, se trazan nuevas percepciones teóricas a partir de la investigación de crisis transfronterizas, y mediante entrevistas a miembros clave de distritos escolares, gobiernos de ciudades y condados, organizaciones sin ánimos de lucro, grupos de trabajo de auxilio, la diáspora haitiano-estadounidense, y agencias del gobierno local. También se estudian los planes/políticas relevantes, modificados por las instituciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales para responder a las cuestiones jurídicas que se plantearon. Los resultados destacan cómo se enfrentan los trabajadores a nivel de calle de las organizaciones estatales y no estatales a las complejidades y consecuencias legales, junto con el papel desempeñado por los protagonistas de la diáspora haitiano-estadounidense y sus redes de contactos.

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Author Biographies

Alka Sapat, Florida Atlantic University

Alka Sapat is an Associate Professor of Public Administration. Her expertise includes disaster and crisis management, environmental policy, and research methodology. She was a Research Fellow with the National Science Foundation's "Next Generation of Hazards Researchers" program and has been involved in four NSF funded projects on topics of building code regulation, disaster-induced displacement and disaster recovery.

Ann-Margaret Esnard, Florida Atlantic University

Ann-Margaret Esnard is a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning. Her expertise encompasses disaster planning, hazard and vulnerability assessment, GIS/spatial analysis, and land use planning. She has been involved in a number of research initiatives, including three NSF funded projects on topics of disaster-induced population displacement and long-term recovery.

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Published

22-11-2011

How to Cite

Sapat, A. and Esnard, A.-M. (2011) “Transboundary Impacts of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake Disaster: Focus on Legal Dilemmas in South Florida”, Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 3(2), pp. 254–276. Available at: https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/148 (Accessed: 29 March 2024).