Disaster disparities and differential recovery in New Orleans |
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Authors: | Christina Finch Christopher T Emrich and Susan L Cutter |
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Institution: | (1) Pacific Disaster Center, Kihei, HI, USA;(2) Hazards & Vulnerability Research Institute, Department of Geography, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA |
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Abstract: | The historical disparities in the socio-demographic structure of New Orleans shaped the social vulnerability of local residents
and their responses to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. These disparities, derived from race, class, gender, and age differences,
have resulted in the uneven impact of the catastrophe on various communities in New Orleans, and importantly, their ability
to recover. This article examines how the pre-existing social vulnerabilities within New Orleans interacted with the level
of flood exposure to produce inequities in the socio-spatial patterns of recovery. Utilizing a combination of statistical
and spatial approaches, we found a distinct geographic pattern to the recovery suggesting that the social burdens and impacts
from Hurricane Katrina are uneven—the less flooded and less vulnerable areas are recovering faster than tracts with more vulnerable
populations and higher levels of flooding. However, there is a more nuanced story, which suggests that it is neighborhoods
in the mid-range of social vulnerability where recovery is lagging. While private resources and government programs help groups
in the high and low categories of social vulnerability, the middle group shows the slowest rates of recovery. Further, it
appears that the congressionally funded State of Louisiana Road Home Program (designed to provide compensation to Louisiana’s
homeowners who suffered impacts by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita for the damage to their home) is not having a significant effect
in stimulating recovery within the city. |
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