INTROOne activity we participate in daily is belonging and being part of a community. We live in a world where associating and identifying with certain groups is how we share common interests, and we are responsible for dealing with whatever may come our way. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the differences and similarities between the approaches observed during the Chicago heat wave and the Buffalo Creek flood. The main differences lie in historical foundations, relationship to land, physical/social vulnerability, development issues, choices we make and media coverage. Both Kleinberg and Erikson offer a greater variety of what exactly a disaster or community is. Although both have overlapping themes and ideas, their methodological approaches and expectations of a community facing disaster differ significantly. ERIKSON'S APPROACH (historical foundations, relationship to the land, choices we make) The most notable difference between these two approaches also happens to be a key factor in both disasters. Erikson's conceptual approach to studying disaster and community draws heavily on historical foundations. Erikson emphasizes that the importance of his approach is being able to understand what a certain place was like in a historical era and the communication that was involved within that community. Erikson describes the mountaineering community as follows: "In a country without public institutions, without townships, without a system of social control, with few stable congregations and no other associations of any kind, membership in a family unit was the only source of identification and support. we had it. (p. 59) From this approach, we learned that mountaineers had a very intensive individual approach...... middle of paper ......adapted to the integration of the other since the approach of 'Erikson included the key aspect of responding to changing conditions, something the city of Chicago desperately needed to work on. And Klinenberg's approach incorporated the key aspect of construction as a public event, which, media coverage is something, was missing during the Buffalo Creek flood. The themes arise from the approaches of both authors; historical foundations, relationship to the land, the choices we make, problematic development, media coverage and physical/social vulnerability allow us to generate knowledge about the loss of community and the production of disaster within the social world . Although natural disasters are inevitable, many people see them in different ways, but these two authors and these approaches suggest that citizens take responsibility and learn from them in order to prepare for the future..