Research Symposium

BIO

Andrew Kiffel is a freshman studying to obtain his Bachelors in Political Science and Criminology. He is an honors student here at FSU, achieving President's List in the fall 2025 semester. After completing his undergraduate degree, Andrew intends on attending law school, eventually finding a career in trial or business law.

Disaster relief: How Geography Shapes Organizational Humanitarian Response in Florida

Abstract

How have different levels of organization assisted Floridians in the fallout of natural disasters? This question must be investigated, as the greater insight we have into the struggles, responses, and present needs of those afflicted by disaster can help us to better support them in their times of need. This is pertinent to all of us, as in the state of Florida, nobody is safe from the threat of natural disaster. We must have systems in place to make sure no Floridian is left behind. In our research, we have assembled a survey given to a variety of response organizations so we can better understand the help allocated. Via qualitative research, we accumulated the survey responses of all of these organizations to formulate trends and highlight areas of potential improvement, as well as establish points of comparison. We are still waiting on results. However, these results will tell us exactly how people struggle post-disaster, what is being done to help them, and how we can do better.

Keywords: hurricane; aid; disaster