The aim of this research is to determine the vulnerability in the Katrina event of the poorest sectors of New Orleans, to identify interventions that might potentially speed up or hinder the recovery process and, based on our observations, to suggest policies that will reduce risk exposure to future disasters. Vulnerability to natural hazards appears through weaknesses in the complex relations that humans have with their built and natural environment. In particular, we will analyze four systems and their interactions: the poor of New Orleans, the infrastructure in the parishes where they live, the financial and risk transfer tools available to them, and the natural resources that they use for their livelihood.
This study is composed of three phases. In the first, we will survey the infrastructure systems and their failures. In the second, we will consider a set of study cases of small businesses in these economically depressed areas and, through surveys and personal interviews, we will determine their disaster preparedness level as well as the usage of their environment to carry out their normal activity previous to the impact of Katrina. This information will allow us to preliminarily assess the vulnerability of the economic structure. In the third phase, as we monitor the return of these businesses, we will test existing theories of recovery and pinpoint milestones in the process that show exceptional success or failure. As the reconstruction progresses, these observations will help us formulate recommendations for more efficient policies to reduce future vulnerability and to encourage speedier post-disaster recoveries.
