“Denaturalizing Disaster” shocks most readers with the assertion that deaths from the Chicago Heat Wave of 1995 are more attributable to socio-economic status and segregation based on race and age than anything else. Of course the actual heat wave played a large role, but it only acted to expose the greater issues of segregation at hand. Yes the heat wave was a disaster but it was the unjust constructs of society that caused the deaths. The elderly refused to leave their homes because of the unforgiving neighborhoods outside and poor African-American communities were not assisted as thoroughly or had as stable an infrastructure as wealthier white communities. These conditions could have easily been prevented, but the impact of this disconnect between neighborhoods was clearly not expected. The Latino community had the least amount of deaths or hospitalizations, as they were very receptive to and caring of each other. The aid that was offered to each other by Latinos should be seen in every community and even in between communities. Such a response was seen after Hurricane Sandy ravaged Staten Island and lower Brooklyn. Even though the volunteers arrived after the disaster, they made a difference to those who had their homes destroyed, partially or fully, by Sandy. There is a very clear lesson to be learned as volunteers traveled quite a distance and put aside prejudices to help others in need.