"On Second Thought" For Wednesday, April 17, 2019

As peak tornado season bears down on the Southeast, On Second Thought is looking at who gets aid after disasters. A recent NPR investigation found that federal emergency has been a political football played by both parties. Research from Carnegie Mellon and other sources shows that how much people affected by disasters get depennds on how your district votes.

Robert Benincasa is a producer for NPR Investigations. He researched and reported on the thousands of disaster buyouts Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA didn't want people to see.

On Second Thought for Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Images are powerful. It was cell phone video and stills of unarmed black men and women being killed over the past several years that launched inquiries into use of force by police and sparked the Black Lives Matter movement. It's what inspired visual and performance artist and scholar Fahamu Pecou for his new exhibit showing at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University.

Pecou began working on his "DO or DIE: Affect, Ritual, Resistance" project in 2015 with a couple of questions in mind: How does one heal after tragedy? And can one gather strength from the stories and spirits of those who've lost their lives?

Pecou spoke with On Second Thought host Virginia Prescott about his journey in finding answers for those questions. It included spritual practices in the West African Yoruba tradition called Ifa. 

As peak tornado season bears down on the Southeast, On Second Thought is looking at who gets aid after disasters. A recent NPR investigation found federal emergency money has been a political football for both parties. Research from Carnegie Mellon and other sources shows how much people affected by disasters get can depend on how their districts vote.

Robert Benincasa is a producer for NPR Investigations. He researched and reported on the thousands of disaster buyouts Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA didn't want people to see.

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