Drowning the Crescent City

Abstract

This article reviews secondary sources on the possible causes of the devastation in New Orleans resulting from Hurricane Katrina. These sources include newspaper accounts, radio and television interviews, government documents, and extensive historical chronicles of the aftermath of Katrina. The authors examine the consequences of policy action (or inaction) at all levels of government with respect to preparedness for evacuation. Using readily available online archival sources, the authors probe the interwoven complexity of the social structures of class, race, and age, together with the everyday lived experience of poor African American and elderly residents, to critically examine the question "what happened and why?" The article concludes with an examination of the legacies of racism and class inequality that are both socially reproduced in Katrina and, if not given keen attention by policy makers and other leaders, may foretell a similar disaster in the future.