The Southwest Florida Archaeological Society (SWFAS) is pleased to announce a presentation on There Is No Such Thing As A Natural Disaster: Hurricanes And Heritage In Southwest Florida. Hurricane Damage To Archaeological Sites. The presentation will be held March 20, 2024, 7:00 pm, at the IMAG History & Science Center, 2000 Cranford Avenue, Fort Myers, Florida.
This is a free public program.
About the Presentation
Natalie De La Torre Salas, Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN) Archaeologist will discuss understanding hurricanes and heritage in Southwest Florida. Whether you are from Florida, the Caribbean or any other part of the world, you have been taught about so-called natural disasters. First of all, what is a disaster and what makes them “natural”? In this talk, Ms. De La Torre Salas will take a look at the impact of Hurricane Ian on Southwest Florida’s archaeological and historical sites and the important role heritage has in the post-disaster recovery process.
About the Speaker
Natalie De La Torre Salas is the public archaeology outreach coordinator for Florida Public Archaeology Network’s Southwest region. She is certified as a member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA), a member of the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Women for Disaster Risk Reduction (LAC) and a member of Randell Research Center’s Advisory Board. She earned her M.A. in Public Archaeology from University College London, UK, and her B.A. in Anthropology from University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Campus, PR. Her research interests include disaster risk management of cultural heritage, public outreach, decolonial theory and digitization and dissemination of archaeological collections. One of her goals with FPAN is to develop programs and public outreach for Latinx communities in SWFL. She is also the founder and co-host of the podcast Ecos Patrimoniales which has become a one-of-a-kind online space for people from Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean to share stories about topics related to cultural heritage, archaeology and lessons learned for reducing disaster risk of cultural heritage and communities.