Dr. Erin R. Eldridge is a Lecturer of Anthropology at UNC Charlotte. She is a cultural and environmental anthropologist, with a background in botany and wildlife and fisheries, and her research focuses on political ecological concerns, socio-ecological violence, bureaucracy, environmental justice, and the intersections of development and disasters. Dr. Eldridge has conducted fieldwork in West Africa, Central America, the Appalachian South, and the Southeastern United States. Current research focuses on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery in Tennessee and North Carolina.