The Most Dreaded Name in NOLA: KATRINA!!!

So did you know that my mother-in-law's name is Katrina? She's darling. I love her. She goes by Kitty, so it's ok. But I feel so bad for her because she doesn't ever want to tell anyone her real name down here. You can understand why.

Katrina is a force to be reckoned with. Seriously. Kind of like mother in laws - ;) Just kidding, Kitty! xoxo

Anyway, it's now the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. 5 years ago this city was under water. This event really spurred my love for New Orleans and the devastation was soul wrenching. My family was personally affected. I openly mourned for New Orleans during this time. And, it was at this time that I figured out that I would somehow convince my husband to leave our happy lives in Texas and somehow go help rebuild this city. We haven't done a whole lot since we have been here, except get jobs and volunteer here and there. But, it's something.

I wanted to share one of my research projects that I conducted while I was in graduate school. I think you will find it interesting, considering we are now at the 5 year mark. Here is an excerpt from the paper and I will be posting it in it's entirety in an upcoming post. In case you are interested. It's titled "Fear and Loss in New Orleans: Leaving the Big Easy Behind"

Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005, devastating much of the north central Gulf Coast. America was glued to the television, watching the devastation pan out as the news coverage focused on the flooding in New Orleans and the thousands of residents still stranded in the area. . .

Much of the research on New Orleans has focused on the lower income populations because they were some of the most affected victims of this engineering failure. The individuals who returned to New Orleans after Katrina had financial means and housing. They lived in the city during the beginning stages of the rebuilding process and put forth major effort in cleaning up the city. They worked in the city and supported the economy through taxes, local spending, etc. For most of these residents, the living conditions were comfortable despite the devastation.

So, it is important to look at how these residents, who had better living conditions than most, decided to move away from a city they love. Also, it is important to understand how living in a city like New Orleans, with its unique cultural identity, changed these individuals and how this change affects the view of his or her current living situation. By examining these circumstances, insight can be gained about the next phase of rebuilding New Orleans.

According to Hausman and Reed (1991), crisis is defined as a time-limited state in which an individual faces a novel, problematic situation in which his usual coping skills are ineffective. In a crisis individuals may experience anxiety, confusion, and feelings of helplessness: their sense of well-being is disrupted. Hurricane Katrina was a crisis of great magnitude and every survivor has experienced some or all of these feelings about what he or she lived through. The authors go on to argue that relocation, moving to another location, takes a toll on individuals. This relocation can be a stressful event and Hausman and Reed define relocation as a traumatic or crisis event. If Hausman and Reed’s claims are true, these former New Orleans residents have now experienced two major crises in a span of two years and would have experienced emotions accordingly.

Flaherty (2005) describes New Orleans as a unique culture, one that is resilient and with a history of community and resistance. It is a city of extended families and social networks filling in the gaps left by city, state and federal governments that have abdicated their responsibility for the public welfare. Assistance programs that were established to help survivors of Hurricane Katrina received millions of dollars in donations during the crisis, yet this funding was not being seen by the Gulf Coast residents because much of the funding has been tied up in bureaucratic red tape. According to Rathke (2005), 50,000 jobs had been lost in New Orleans due to the economic situation after Hurricane Katrina. Rents feel like they have doubled in some areas. $1000 is the new $400. Scarcity of supply commands a price.

New Orleans is a culture of dual existence. This dual existence highlights the struggle against institutionalized racism, where Caucasian upper class benefit and middle and lower income classes continue to suffer. Jervis (2007) describes one individual’s interpretation of the government after Katrina: “If disaster strikes another city, the best thing they could do is realize that the government will not do anything for you. We are in this for ourselves.”

Because there was governmental mismanagement on every level, residents of New Orleans are wary about the government and the future that lies ahead. Toledano (2007) describes the history of New Orleans culture and politics with its roots deeply planted in European class hierarchy. In the past, New Orleans Society and Culture have excluded Jews, Italians, Latin Americans, Asians, women, blacks, and newcomers to the city. Toledano argues that while this belief system of exclusion lasted until the 1970s, these attitudes still linger on. If anything, this racism has grown since Hurricane Katrina, due to the media’s coverage on looting by African Americans during the storm. Combined with increases in crime and decreases in the police force, New Orleans has turned into a very dangerous city in which to live. It is important to recognize that a temporary or permanent loss of culture can create an identity crisis for an individual (Dugan, 2007).

It can be argued that individuals who move away from the area after helping with the rebuilding process have experienced a loss of culture and this loss is part of the motivation to move on. According to one New Orleans resident, “The hardest part for me is realizing that New Orleans is never going to be the same. I knew a month ago that it was going to be gone. The racial composition has changed. It saddens me. I loved the diversity. Now it’s mostly white and some Mexicans. The city is what it is because of the people, and I worry about what it’s going to be in the future” (Davis and Land, 2007). The fiber that makes up the city of New Orleans has permanently changed because of Hurricane Katrina.

Let me say, dolls, the city that everyone knew before the storm is not the same. It never will be the same. But, we must all remind ourselves that change is hard.