In the last two weeks, the devastation in Haiti from Hurricane Mathew has grown more and more shocking. Families woke up to see their neighborhoods in tatters, and the number of recorded deaths has risen to horrific proportions — from 100 to a staggering 800 and still increasing. In the months and years ahead, it is the extreme poor, many of whom are landless women without a steady job or income, who will suffer the most.
Although there is some initial evidence of what “works” to help these extremely poor families bounce back after disaster, far more research is needed to identify models that successfully build resilience after economic shocks.