In June and July 2024, BAF Fellows Amidu Kalokoh, Melissa Villarreal, and Nelson Adeniji joined six other students in a summer research training program as the second cohort of the Coastal Hazards, Equity, Economic prosperity and Resilience (CHEER) Hub, which is spearheaded by the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware.  

Hosted by East Carolina University, the students received training in disaster recovery and resilience research and collaborated as part of an interdisciplinary research team. Each fellow explored a different research question and led a smaller team in which they mentored undergraduate students while applying their own skills and interests. The experience culminated with a summit where they presented their findings to members of the CHEER team and partner organizations. 

Amidu’s presentation, Coastal Vulnerabilities to Hurricanes and Floods: Are Policy Actors Building Resilience of Mobile-Manufactured Homes?,  Melissa’s presentation, Equity in Outreach: Reaching Socially Vulnerable Populations with Hurricane Information Across Eastern North Carolina, and Nelson’s presentation, Renters And Non-US Citizens’ Pathways and Challenges to Hurricane and Flooding Recovery: Local Government and NGO Perspectives, drew from on-the-ground observations and stakeholder interviews conducted throughout the summer.