ABSTRACT
A catastrophic flood in West Virginia was an extreme weather event that presented an unprecedented advocacy opportunity for social workers who saved many lives that were endangered by this event. Thus, this chapter provides social workers with a good example of what persons are going to do when responding actively to an environmental crisis. The main argument is that green social work is progressive, has a moral compass pointing towards justice (Dominelli, 2016), and holds potential to do a lot more. This chapter intends to help persons define and redefine their current and future roles in preventing environmental injustice(s). This catastrophic flood is viewed as a time for community involvement and support in which social workers were able to participate. As authors, our aim in this chapter is to broaden and deepen understanding of the climate change adaptation process, and support the development of better disaster preparedness planning and response measures to improve livelihoods, human health and well-being (Howard, 2012). We advocate incorporating storytelling into crisis intervention to facilitate social welfare and social justice in green social work practice and thereby contribute to the intellectual and political substance of the green social work model.
