Honors Program
University Honors
Date of Award
12-2025
Thesis Professor(s)
Daniel Hedden
Thesis Professor Department
Philosophy and Humanities
Thesis Reader(s)
Daniel Aldrich
Abstract
Abstract This thesis seeks to understand the role of social capital in shaping post-disaster recovery following Hurricane Helene in Northeast Tennessee. Through a multi-method qualitative approach, including interviews, published articles, and community events alongside a literature review of social capital as a whole and specifically in post-disaster recovery, this study examines how bonding, bridging, and linking forms of social capital influenced recovery outcomes across some affected counties in northeast Tennessee. Interviews with recovery coordinators, local officials, and community leaders reveal that strong trust networks and established partnerships accelerated recovery, while weak institutional connections and bureaucratic barriers slowed progress. Findings demonstrate that social capital was critical and was fostered through faith-based organizations, non-profit organizations, and Long-Term Recovery Groups (LTRGs) as they acted as key generators of social capital, converting informal networks into coordinated, sustainable recovery infrastructure. The study concludes that disaster preparedness should prioritize social capital development such as building trust, communication networks, and cross-sector relationships to ensure more equitable and resilient recovery in future crises, in addition to acknowledging the limitations of social capital in disaster recovery.
Publisher
East Tennessee State University
Document Type
Honors Thesis - Open Access
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Wilson, Aliya E., "How Northeast Tennessee Communities Rebuilt: Social Capital in the Hurricane Helene Recovery" (2025). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 854. https://dc.etsu.edu/honors/854
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
