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Community, Health, and Family

A Coherence-based Study of the Post-Disaster Environments in Wilmington and Kinston, North Carolina Cornelius Ojo*, Cornelius Ojo,

Climate-driven disasters are intensifying. In 2024 alone, 27 catastrophic events in the United States (U.S.) caused 568 deaths and over $180 billion in losses, with North Carolina experiencing nine of these events (NCEI, 2025). Increasingly frequent 100-year floods and human settlement patterns that amplify hazard exposure raise an important question: are our communities places where people can maintain well-being amid recurring hazards even as they try to survive? This study examines how residents of two hurricane-prone communities in North Carolina (Wilmington and Kinston) navigate daily life in the face of recurrent environmental challenges. Drawing on the Sense of Coherence framework, the project employs a validated sense of coherence survey and semi-structured narrative interviews to assess residents’ confidence in their environments’ ability to support their well-being and the reasons behind their perceptions. A responsive analysis of local recovery policies will contextualize these experiences and identify factors that promote or hinder community coherence. Findings are expected to inform planners, designers, and policymakers in creating equitable and health-supportive post-disaster environments, and strengthening residents’ capacity to thrive in hazard-prone areas.