Social scientists offer expertise and perspectives that could contribute to Floyd recovery and to more successful disaster relief efforts in the future, said Dr. Kenneth Bollen, who will succeed Reed as director in July.
Oral histories are first-person narratives that add new voices to the historical record.
Such personal stories record vivid memories and present history to the public in new ways. Without historians efforts, the stories preserved on tape and in transcripts would eventually be lost. Conducted by Dr. Charles Thompson and photographer Rob Amberg beginning late last year and funded by the Carolina Center for Public Service, the earlier project included 22 interviews and documentary photography. Funding from the Odum Institute and a matching UNC-CH Institute on Aging grant will allow the historians to interview more people about the flood's impact on the elderly. The flood serves as a point of entry for a wider inquiry into the evolving character of the experiences of the region's elderly across several generations, the rise of elderly-focused social and health services and other issues.