This past semester I have been working with Dr.Kimberly Rogers to develop an independent research project studying how the use of social media has changed the landscape of disaster preparedness on Roanoke Island. My main research question is: How has social media changed the landscape of disaster preparedness knowledge in Manteo and Wanchese, NC over the past 10 years? The goal of this study is to understand how people in Manteo and Wanchese use social media to prepare for disasters (i.e. hurricanes) and how this influences their perception of risk.
This is a two semester project, and I am currently developing an online survey to distribute to residents of Manteo and Wanchese. I am also incorporating a geospatial component and will use ArcGIS to analyze how Roanoke Island’s vulnerability to storm and flood events have changed over time, and use survey responses to create a time series that correlates this vulnerability to social media use.
This October 31st aka the best day of spooky season I got to experience Halloween in the Outer Banks. My biggest revelation of this night was that Manteo really knows how to throw a party! We put on our costumes, drove downtown and walked around the Halloween-themed street fair that had been set up. We went on a hay ride, ate cotton candy and listened to some cool tunes. Overall, a fun night complete with lots and lots of candy (: ‘tis the spooky season
The last couple weeks we have been continuing our data collection for the capstone, including interviews with property owners, researchers, public officials and septic professionals. I got the opportunity to sample water during a rare rainy day in OBX. I can’t say it was the best day I’ve had here, but I enjoyed getting experience sampling water and working with my awesome team. We even got some B roll to use in the podcast.
This past Monday evening was our CAB meeting, which was at Johanna’s where we had an oyster roast, ate some BOMB vegetarian chili, and presented to the board about our research. Although I’m a vegetarian, I decided to try the oysters, in part because I had never shucked an oyster and wanted to have the experience so I could brag to my friends later. I shucked about five oysters, which was a huge accomplishment and something I may put on my resume later. (:
Halloween in downtown Manteo
Overall my last few months in the Outer Banks have been some of the most memorable times I’ve had. Although I am from North Carolina, I did not grow up in a small town, and finally getting the chance to live in a small community has really opened my eyes to the unique experience of living in a town like Manteo. I can honestly say one of the things I will miss most about Manteo, and about Roanoke Island, is the sense of community people have and something I’ve come to recognize myself. In towns like Chapel Hill, people and faces tend to blend together and it can be hard to recognize any sense of place. But on Roanoke Island there’s a feeling of comfort and security in the knowledge that everyone here has ties to their community and their neighbors, and makes an effort to help make Roanoke Island feel even more like home.
