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Abstract
In this paper we draw on the findings of a critical, multi-sited ethnographic study
of two rural communities affected by a wildfire in British Columbia, Canada to examine
the salience of place, identity, and social capital to the disaster recovery process
and community disaster resilience. We argue that a reconfiguration of disaster recovery
is required that more meaningfully considers the role of place in the disaster recovery
process and opens up the space for a more reflective and intentional consideration
of the disorientation and disruption associated with disasters and our organized response
to that disorientation. We describe a social-psychological process, reorientation,
in which affected individuals and communities navigate the psychological, social and
emotional responses to the symbolic and material changes to social and geographic
place that result from the fire's destruction. The reorientation process emphasizes
the critical importance of place not only as an orienting framework in recovery but
also as the ground upon which social capital and community disaster resilience are
built. This approach to understanding and responding to the disorientation of disasters
has implications for community psychologists and other service providers engaged in
supporting disaster survivors. This includes the need to consider the complex dynamic
of contextual and cultural factors that influence the disaster recovery process.