CCPO and ICAR
Fall 2026 Virtual Seminar Series
MONDAY, 19 October 2026
3:30 p.m.
The next CCPO and Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience (ICAR) seminar will be given by Professor N. Emel Ganapati from Florida International University. Professor Ganapati’s research focuses on enhancing the capability of communities to become more resilient to the effects of natural disasters. Her seminar will address issues affecting decisions by households about relocation following natural disasters.
Professor Wie Yusuf will host Professor Ganapati’s virtual seminar. There will be an informal discussion with Professor Ganapati prior to the seminar starting at 3pm.
Please join via the seminar Zoom link above to talk with Professor Ganapati and attend the seminar.
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Title: Stay, Adapt, or Relocate? How Stakeholder Actions Shape Household Decisions in Coastal and Non-Coastal Communities in Puerto Rico
Abstract
Despite an ever-growing body of research on post-disaster relocation, our understanding of the interlinkages between households’ and other community stakeholders’ decisions during this process remains limited. This seminar addresses this gap by asking: how do households’ decisions to stay, adapt or relocate following a disaster event depend on the relocation decisions of other households, businesses, and the NGOs? The study is based on disaster scenario exercises involving hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and coastal erosion, conducted with residents of two communities (n=49) in Puerto Rico: Comerio and Loiza. Our results indicate that households’ post-disaster decisions depend on actions taken by other households, businesses, and NGOs. However, these interdependencies vary by disaster type, social capital, and the characteristics of businesses and NGOs in these communities. Pre-disaster planning should therefore adopt a context-specific and interdependency-based approach that is tailored to each community and each disaster type.
Biography
N. Emel Ganapati is a professor of public policy and administration and director of the Laboratory for Social Science Research at the International Hurricane Research Center at Florida International University. She holds degrees in urban and regional planning from the University of Southern California, the University of Pennsylvania, and Middle East Technical University. Her research focuses on helping communities become more resilient in the face of disasters and has taken her to communities across Türkiye, Nepal, Haiti and the United States, including its territories such as Puerto Rico. She has published in leading journals in public administration, urban planning, social science, and disaster studies. As a member of the National Construction Safety Team, she currently leads social science evidence collection and preservation efforts for the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) investigation of the Champlain Towers South Building collapse. She has also served in leadership roles on grants funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Florida Sea Grant (a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the State University System of Florida, and Florida's county governments) and other agencies. Her research and related service have been recognized by media outlets including The Washington Times, National Public Radio, CNN, NBC, MSN and The Weather Channel. She is the recipient of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) South Florida Chapter’s 2024 Allan Rosenbaum Educator of the Year Award, and the Florida Education Fund’s 2018 William R. Jones Outstanding Mentor Award.
Previous seminars are available on CCPO/ICAR Seminar YouTube Playlist