African Americans ' Decision For New Orleans Before Hurricane Katrin A Qualitative Study

There has been significant statistics that revealed a large portion of individuals in New Orleans have low socio-economic status. The great Hurricane Katrina in 2005 did not help these statistics improve. In fact, it increased due to the damaging effects from the hurricane. Prior to the hurricane, there wasn’t a significant plan to address the vulnerable population, especially how to handle the mental state of children within this population after a major disaster. The individuals within this population includes the minority, low income, non-English speaking, and non-educated. Even though warnings and methods to prepare for the hurricane was given, not everyone fully understood the extent due to language barriers and inability to access essential supplies to protect themselves.

A modern-day study being done about the racial discrimination that was brought upon thousands of families during Hurricane Katrina is now in the limelight and takes a specific look at the way certain people perceive this notion of racism. The arguments that are being considered examine the past reports of Black and White participants regarding racial differences and their perceptions of the racial inequality following Hurricane Katrina. The participants for this investigation were asked whether or not the United States government would have provided aid and responded faster to different socio-economic and racial groups during the hurricane. According to de la Peña et al. (2010), a higher percentage of White participants said that socio-economic status is more important, while Blacks relied on race more. Additionally, more White participants believed that the slow government response effort was not influenced by race and/or socio-economic status of the victims. Although there is a contention between the two races, there is a higher percentage of agreement when concerning discrimination altogether.

Hurricane Katrina was a devastating disaster that has affected many people in New Orleans. The communication broke down hours after Katrina because of the unexpected fast winds and floods that broke down “3 million phone lines and 1,000 cellular towers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.”( Joch ). Because of the millions of phone lines that were broken down, contacting the government for help was difficult hours after hurricane Katrina. Not only that, the people of New Orleans underestimated the power of Hurricane Katrina causing many to be “ stranded with no food or water” (Narrator, “The Storm”,PBS).

Statistics show that 75% of the African Americans in New Orleans were affected compared to the 15% of African Americans in the Biloxi-Gulfport metropolitan area (Cutter and Gall, 5). It also states, “The calamitous combination of insured development certainly accounts for much of hurricane katrina’s damage, specifically in New Orleans.” All levels of government failed to do their part, which includes state and local government.

B. Thesis: The government should have help Hurricane Katrina, through additional money, supplies, and community help.

Even though the warnings were dire many people it believed as if very few in government had heard their calls for help. Below is a partial transcript of an interview with a resident of New Orleans after the flooding happened;

Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest and costliest hurricanes to hit the United States in decades. The economic losses were extraordinary; however, it was the human losses that stuck Americans at their core. The media brought into our homes graphic images of the destruction of New Orleans. Its mayor had ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city and yet 150,000 citizens are said to have stayed. Like most of the nation I asked myself, “Well why did they stay? If a mandatory evacuation is issued, it stands to reason that state officials considered the situation to be precarious.” It is only recently, when I’ve seen reports of New Orleans slow rebuilding, that I have really given thought to the undisclosed factors that lead to such

Following Hurricane Katrina, many people were homeless, and thought that the minorities were not being treated fairly post-hurricane. Media images that were shown from Katrina showed that nearly all those left behind to suffer and some die were black Americans. Families that were most able to afford homes in flood-protected areas and that had resources to evacuate easily suffered a great deal less than poorer families. There was not enough resources for them and they were forced to leave all of their belongings. Post-Katrina, many of the minorities were not allowed back into their homes because it was a hazard. Parts of the city was covered deep in water and thousands had been unable to evacuate, leaving them to die. As news spread fast

The devastation of Hurricane Katrina on the city of New Orleans sparked a national conversation about who, or what, to blame for the disaster. There were inherent problems in how the chain of command was structured for the response to the disaster, and issues with how the plan was implemented. Furthermore, since the hurricane disproportionately devastated low income and predominately African American neighborhoods, many questioned the equity of the implementation plans. Additionally, historical causes for the disaster could not be overlooked. The history of racial housing segregation and the embrace of levee policies that endangered the city were also reasons why many blamed the federal and state governments for not anticipating the disaster

I am writing to you in regards to the recent disaster that hit New Orleans, Louisiana “Hurricane Katrina.” Besides the death toll, hurricane Katrina left many people homeless as more than 800,000 housing units were destroyed or damaged in the storm. Katrina is the costliest U.S hurricane, with estimated damage over $81 billion and costs over $160 billion (2005 US dollars). I believe that the socioeconomic impact of “Katrina” was not felt equally amongst the different classes. Those who were wealthier typically whites were able to flee, and the poor typically black were unable to flee to safety, and suffered the worst during and after ‘Katrina.” Many of the residents were displaced to different states which included Texas, Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina, Oklahoma to name a few. In a study conducted by Kaplan- Meier called the Displaced New Orleans Residents Pilot Study showed the discrepancy amongst blacks and whites and their duration of displacement. One-quarter of white residents had returned to the city within 2 months of Hurricane Katrina, whereas it took an additional month for one-quarter of the black residents to return. The durations at which half of the pre-hurricane population of blacks and whites returned to New Orleans differ greatly. In particular, half of white residents had returned within 3 months of the storm; on the other hand, fewer than half of black residents had returned. (Kaplan- Meier) A poll done by Newsweek magazine showed

TENNYSON, DONNA and IFY DIALA. "Case Study on Hurricane Sandy Survivors Experience." Scholedge International Journal of Multidisciplinary & Allied Studies, vol. 3, no. 3, Mar. 2016, pp. 67-75. EBSCOhost, doi:10.19085/journal.sijmas030301

Images of the devastation were televised showing visibly shaken and frustrated political leaders, and stranded residents who remained in New Orleans without basic necessities and shelter. Images and talk about the deaths of several citizens by thirst, exhaustion and violence were still being reported days after the storm itself had passed. The majority of the people who had been affected by the storm were African American and poor. It was then brought to public attention that the government seemed to be inconsiderate about the African American population. Days after Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the northern Gulf Coast, there were still many tired and angry people stranded at the Super Dome and all over New Orleans without food, water and medical

On August 29, 2005 hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United and for two days it brought havoc to the American people until the storm was downgraded to a tropical depression as it reached Tennessee. However, surviving the hurricane’s intense rain and wind would not be the hardest struggle they were forced to endure. Their survival would be tested longer than the hurricane’s wrath for the survivors’ will be faced with limited amounts of water and food and help will not arrive for days to come. Because of this lack of control in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina the public were left in anarchic as they waited for help that came too late. Unfortunately, as time went on, people began to turn on each other for the limited resources left.

This project will outline the design of an intervention for hurricane preparedness in the City of North Miami with all components of this intervention based on behavioral theories to motivate change. The City of North Miami has been fortunate enough not to have withstood a hurricane or any natural disaster that has caused significant loss of lives, injury and damage to properties. However, with the unpredictable nature of hurricanes, there has to be an active plan to get citizens aware of their risks, knowledgeable about preparedness and what to do in such

When the call comes in during a threatening disaster that there must be an evacuation of a town or a certain area of town, it is something that is not taken lightly. There is careful planning and consideration given before the call goes out to evacuation. Many of us have seen the movies that sensationalize pending disasters, as people are evacuating there are miles and miles are cars backed on major roadways, going nowhere. We have also witnessed large scale evacuations with Hurricane Katrina as it approached the Gulf Coast, visions of several lanes of traffic at a standstill. Making a call for evacuation is a serious decision that is not to be taken lightly and there many factors that need to be taken in consideration that determine the appropriate type of evacuation.