Hudson
Phase 1

Critical Thinking Questions

Answer the questions below.

To prepare for assessment, review the case file in the Engage section and consult the Sociogram and Hudson City Map. Then answer the questions below.

  1. What challenges do you anticipate in trying to forge working relationships with those recently affected by the trauma of this natural disaster? How will your work in the engage phase need to account for the experience and effects of the trauma of Hurricane Diane? How could you learn more about these dynamics and how social workers experienced in disaster response navigate them?

  2. As both a Hudson City resident and a community social worker, you may have a role conflict. For example, concerns about the costs of disaster recovery and future mitigation may figure into your thinking about what Hudson City should do, particularly if you perceive those costs as being passed onto community residents. However, as a social worker in the community, you have to be cognizant of the concerns of everyone, as well as the specific ethical obligation to assist those most vulnerable. Name at least two conflicts that you see between your professional obligations and your membership in the Hudson City community.

  3. As a social worker, it is important for you to think about the natural alliances that form between systems, as well as the inherent conflicts. In this case, what are the natural alliances between stakeholders? The community sociogram should help you answer this question.

  4. Equipped with a general idea of the contours of the problem, ask yourself, “who is the client?” Is it the displaced population in need of shelter? Is it those individuals affected by the disaster who have already sought services from your organization? Is it the entire community? Your definition of who the client is will make a difference in your assessment—the next phase of the process.

  5. How could you approach organizations and institutions charged with responding to and preventing future disasters? Using the town map and your understanding of your own community, consider the entities who should be part of Hudson City’s disaster recovery. How can you engage them, particularly to ensure that those contending with other oppressions (by race, gender, income, disability, language barriers) are equitably represented in disaster planning?

Explore the Town

View locations of relevant formal and informal resources in Hudson City.

View Town Map