Dr. Cristina Muñoz De La Torre (she/her) develops research and policy analysis and program evaluation around climate and environmental justice with a specialization in disaster resilience and equity. She connects BIPOC frontline organizations and communities to federal resilience resources and supports capacity building for community-led resilience programming and equitable solutions.
Cristina brings 15 years of research and leadership experience in the area of climate, environmental justice, and natural hazards and disasters. She obtained her PhD from the University if Iowa in the field of geography where she completed her dissertation entitled: Identifying barriers and access to equitable allocations of federal disaster assistance— The influential roles of social vulnerability and social capital and their interaction. She has published in peer review journals such as Natural Hazards Review and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and has presented her research at the Natural Hazards Workshop. She has served on the boards of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of Iowa and the Bill Anderson Fund (BAF). She worked as a community resilience planner where she developed flood resilience and climate action plans and wrote a guidebook for planners on implementing equitable resilience planning.
Cristina was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, CA and is a first-generation Latina from Salvadorian and Mexican descent. Her passion for environmental justice began at a young age growing up in a neighborhood surrounded by toxic facilities and having limited access to greenspaces. Her experiences in Los Angeles and in environmental justice communities inspired her to organize and advocate, and ultimately pursue a PhD to inform change and use her expertise to support the environmental justice movement.
Research shows that the Latine* population in the United States, along with other low-income and communities of color, is disproportionately impacted by disasters and often marginalized in government-funded mitigation and […]
In the face of climate-related disasters, effective communication around evacuation orders and recovery resources can mean the difference between life and death. Unfortunately, individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), who […]
Northeast Houston residents are not just confronting Hurricane Beryl’s aftermath; they’re forging a path to resilience and environmental justice through community-driven solutions. On Monday July 8, tropical Storm Beryl made […]
On January 22, FEMA released an Interim Final Rule that proposes significant modifications to their Individual Assistance (IA) Program that provides financial assistance and direct services to eligible individuals and […]
Black and Latine adults are less able to pay their bills and are more impacted by climate disasters. Living paycheck to paycheck makes any disruptions caused by climate change far […]
Black and Latine adults are less able to pay their bills and are more impacted by climate disasters. Living paycheck to paycheck makes any disruptions caused by climate change far […]
In the past few weeks alone, the United States has witnessed various climate hazards and disasters affecting vulnerable communities and straining public infrastructure and housing. Extreme heat waves are endangering […]
Primary Author: Cristina Muñoz De La Torre In this brief, we cover what is in FEMA’s Equity Plan, whether the plan will achieve equity for BIPOC and frontline communities, and […]
What is Community Disaster Resilience? In the first blog of this series, we discussed why there is no such thing as a “natural disaster.” All disasters from hurricanes, floods, and […]
How many natural disasters did you see in the news in 2021? The answer is zero. What you likely saw was a natural hazard that resulted in a disaster because […]
Across the country Black, Indigenous, Communities of Color, and Frontline communities are leveraging their expertise, lived experiences, and community relationships to develop solutions that interrupt the status quo and shine […]
For decades now, BIPOC frontline organizations have united, fought, and led progress against environmental injustices and the disproportionate impacts of climate change. Historically, this progress has been dependent on grassroots […]
