Lesson 27- How did the character of New Orleans shape the disaster? Local scale Hazard case study

Question 1

Vulnerability of New Orleans

Answer 1

• Warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico intensify tropical storms
• Land is bowl shaped
• Area between Mississipi river and Lake Pondatarian mostly living below sea level

Question 2

History of New Orleans

Answer 2

• A history of racial segregation, in the early 20th century with racial zoning laws
  -unconstitutionalised by 1927
• Tropical storms have amplified this divide

Question 3

What happened in Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 3

• Former french colony -1718
• August,25th 2005 was Cat 1>August 28th was Cat 5
• City subsiding >1/2 of city lies below sea level
• Large storm surge, levees failed
• 1.2 million evacuated

-FEMA deployed army to’restore law and order’ due to accusations of looting, rape and violence

-allegations been proven false and violence on citizens is due to institutional racism

Question 4

How did the tropical storm influence the characteristics of the place?

Answer 4

• Social-Poverty, Access to a car or not, ethnicity
• Economic-house price distribution, insurance or not, (risk sharing), Wealth
• Political-Local governence-Mayor, FEMA, Corruption within local governments

Question 5

Why is New Orleans physically vulnerable?

Answer 5

• A hurricane makes landfall within 50 miles of New Orleans about once every seven to eleven years.
• Wind speeds in excess of 125 mph and storm surges of 8.5m
  -Physical factors can lead to the place becoming socially vulnerable.
  -These physical characteristics have consequently created inequality in resilience to these hazards.

Question 6

How did the physical factors lead to economic and social impacts?
-low lying land

Answer 6

• Low lying land supposedly protected by levees but storm surges easily overpower this
• Increases property values in the area
• Results in 78% low income african families living in the low-lying areas of Gentilly compared to the uptwon area which is majority white
• Social segregation leads to feedback of rich vs poor and black vs white.

Question 7

How did the physical factors create economic and social impacts?

Answer 7

• Early warnings of tropical storms allow for a national warning
• Allows only the rich people to react due to how thery have transport links-also had insurance
• Lead to worse social impacts as 81 people drowned in their own homes and could not afford to re-build
• Led to population decline of over 22% after the disaster

Question 8

Differing factors affecting place between Gentilly and Uptown-Topography

Answer 8

• Gentilly-Low lying ground typically lower than sea level.
• Uptown-Approximately 10ft above sea level.

Question 9

Differing factors affecting place between Gentilly and Uptown-Property Value

Answer 9

• Gentilly-Low value properties. Average property price of £230,000.
• Uptown-Higher value properties. Average property price of $400,000.

Question 10

Difference in factors affecting place between Gentilly and Uptown-Demographics

Answer 10

• Gentilly-78% African American, 41.8% of children live with mother only
• Uptown-73% Caucasian (white)
  9.5 % of children live with mother only.

Question 11

Difference in factors affecting place between Gentilly and Uptown-Political

Answer 11

• Gentilly-Suspicious of and felt betrayed by the government, lack of trust in the policing. A feeling of being treated like second-class citizens in their own city
• Uptown-A greater level of trust towards the government and policing. Some degree of Ethnocentricity with the formation of violent vigilantly groups after the storm.

Question 12

Difference in factors affecting between Gentilly and Uptown-Response to Hazard

Answer 12

• Gentilly-Many unable to evacuate due to have no vehicle, risk sharing (insurance) is not available or too expensive, some citizens have to resort to looting stores to gain food and water.
• Uptown-Have access to a car to evacuate the area prior to the arrival of the storm, can afford to buy property that is normally higher than the floodwaters.
  -Can afford risk sharing.
  -Most buildings are two storey.

Question 13

Has the situation changed today?

Answer 13

• Political change has taken place with Governor Kathleen Blanco not seeking re-election
• The introduction of Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Hurricane Recovery Act, 2006. –This helps to ensure that funds are available to financial support appropriate relief in any future events.

-Therefore it can be argued that storms such as Katrina have influenced the political nature of the city as well as its social and economic characteristics, and variations in these characteristics subsequently affect the resilience of different districts within New Orleans.

Question 14

How did hurricane Katrina affect the population characteristics?

Answer 14

• The state’s population is estimated to have fallen by 8.4% (378,000) in the aftermath of the hurricanes. Over 460,000 people have left the New Orleans area
• By July 2006 only 60,000 people had returned. Further west, Cameron, Calcasieu and Vermilion parishes have lost a total of 5,500 people.
• By contrast, the population of Baton Rouge, 80 km north-west of New Orleans, has increased by 35,000 and the majority of parishes across Louisiana have experienced rapid population growth as they house evacuees.