Katrina’s X, 6 Years Later: Examining the Intersections of Race, Class, and the Marginalization of Low-Income Families in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina

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2014-02
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There is no question that Hurricane Katrina was one of the most powerful and destructive storms ever experienced in New Orleans, Louisiana. The storm and its floodwaters were responsible for over one thousand deaths, hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage and forced hundreds of thousands of residents from their homes. The purpose for this qualitative study was to critically examine the role of social forces such as of race, class, family, and kinship structures and how these forces functioned in New Orleans before, during, and after the events of Hurricane Katrina, utilizing an interdisciplinary research approach. In addition, I interrogate how and why these issues and social forces are obstacles of recovery as narrated by my interlocutors. I demonstrate that underlying issues such as situated poverty, inequitable distribution of wealth, and the gaps among people who have both wealth and an income verses those who rely solely on an income contributed to the scant progress of rebuilding the inner-city spaces of New Orleans after Katrina. Likewise, I reveal how individuals engage in diverse communal practices and diverse economies as a method of coping with the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and/or earning additional income or to mobilize through the Katrina ordeal.
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