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Hurricane Katrina (hurricane + katrina)
Selected AbstractsShelter from the storm?CONSERVATION LETTERS, Issue 1 2010misuse of coastal vegetation bioshields for managing natural disasters Abstract Vegetated coastal ecosystems provide goods and services to billions of people. In the aftermath of a series of recent natural disasters, including the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and Cyclone Nargis, coastal vegetation has been widely promoted for the purpose of reducing the impact of large storm surges and tsunami. In this paper, we review the use of coastal vegetation as a "bioshield" against these extreme events. Our objective is to alter bioshield policy and reduce the long-term negative consequences for biodiversity and human capital. We begin with an overview of the scientific literature, in particular focusing on studies published since the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 and discuss the science of wave attenuation by vegetation. We then explore case studies from the Indian subcontinent and evaluate the detrimental impacts bioshield plantations can have upon native ecosystems, drawing a distinction between coastal restoration and the introduction of exotic species in inappropriate locations. Finally, we place bioshield policies into a political context, and outline a new direction for coastal vegetation policy and research. [source] Sensitivity of post-hurricane beach and dune recovery to event frequencyEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 5 2009Chris Houser Abstract The recovery of Santa Rosa Island in northwest Florida is characterized following Hurricane Katrina (September 2005), which was preceded by Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Dennis (2005). Beach and dune recovery were quantified to the east and west of Pensacola Beach through a comparison of LiDAR data collected immediately following Hurricane Katrina and in July 2006 after almost a year of recovery. East of Pensacola Beach (the Santa Rosa Unit), the shoreline retreated by an average of 64 m during the 2004,2005 hurricane season and recovered by an average of 19 m. To the west of Pensacola Beach (the Fort Pickens Unit), the shoreline retreated by an average of 30 m, and while no significant shoreface recovery was observed, the presence of vegetation on low-profile dunes promoted backshore accretion. It is found that beachface recovery in the Santa Rosa Unit and backshore accretion in the Fort Pickens Unit occurred at the widest sections of the island where the pre-storm profile volume had been relatively large and overwash penetration was at a minimum. The narrow sections of the island (between cuspate headlands) had a smaller profile volume before the storms, leading to greater overwash penetration and in some cases island breaching in both sections, which limited the volume of sediment available for shoreface recovery. The alongshore variation in recovery is not only related to the island width, but also the offshore bathymetry, height of the pre-storm dunes and the overwash penetration. If sufficient time is allowed for the return of vegetation and the recovery of the dunes, the variations in storm impact observed during Hurricane Ivan will be reinforced during subsequent storms. In this respect, the level of impact during subsequent storms and the ability of the island to recover will depend on the frequency of storm events. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Multiple facets of environmental impacts from Hurricane KatrinaENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 7 2010Marc Slattery No abstract is available for this article. [source] Sediment quality in near coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico: Influence of Hurricane Katrina,ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 7 2010John M. Macauley Abstract The results of the present study represent a synoptic analysis of sediment quality in coastal waters of Lake Pontchartrain and Mississippi Sound two months after the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. Posthurricane conditions were compared to prehurricane (2000,2004) conditions, for sediment quality data. There were no exceedances of effects range median (ERM) sediment quality guideline values for chemical contaminants in any of the sediment samples collected from the Lake Pontchartrain or the Mississippi Sound study areas following the hurricane. Lower threshold effects range low (ERL) values were exceeded for As, Cd, and Ni at several stations in both survey areas, similar to levels of contamination observed prior to the hurricane. The comparison of sediment quality indicators before and after the hurricane suggests considerable stability of these systems with respect to short-term ecological impacts. Although other studies have shown storm-related changes could be detected (e.g., effects on benthic communities associated with shifts in salinity), there were no indications of widespread sediment contamination. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:1403,1408. © 2010 SETAC [source] AT&T adds business continuity to the long list of telework's advantagesGLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 2 2006Joseph Roitz AT&T's experience in making telework an essential part of its organizational strategy can serve as a model for other knowledge-based companies looking for new sources of competitive advantage. The promises of telework,reduced real estate costs, productivity gains, higher employee satisfaction and retention,have materialized as measurable returns for AT&T. Hurricane Katrina provided just the latest evidence of another important telework contribution, business continuity, with sizable benefits for the company, its customers, and its employees. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Hurricane Katrina and the Burdens of HistoryHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2006Adam Rothman Almost three months after Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast, a New York Times editorial mourns, "We are about to lose New Orleans." The city remains crippled. Whole neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble. The federal, state, and local governments dither. Basic services are yet to be fully restored. Only a fraction of its residents have returned, and many never will. By the last count, more than a thousand New Orleanians died in the disaster. The sad truth is that we have already lost New Orleans. Whatever replaces it will not be the same. The city is history.1 [source] The Evolutionary Role of Interorganizational Communication: Modeling Social Capital in Disaster ContextsHUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 2 2010Marya L. Doerfel Employing a community ecology perspective, this study examines how interorganizational (IO) communication and social capital (SC) facilitated organizational recovery after Hurricane Katrina. In-depth interviews with 56 New Orleans organizations enabled longitudinal analysis and a grounded theory model that illustrates how communication differentiated four phases of recovery: personal emergency, professional emergency, transition, rebuilding. Communicative action taking place across phases corresponds with the evolutionary mechanisms. Most organizations did not turn to interorganizational relationships (IORs) until the transitional phase, during which indirect ties were critical and incoming versus outgoing communication was substantively different. Organizations did not consistently use IO SC until the last phase. This study underlines the fact that organizations and their systems are fundamentally human and (re)constructed through communicative action. Le rôle évolutionnaire de la communication interorganisationnelle : la présentation du capital social en contextes de désastres Marya L. Doerfel, Chih-Hui Lai, & Lisa V. Chewning Adoptant la perspective de l'écologie des communautés, cette étude examine la manière dont la communication interorganisationnelle et le capital social ont facilité le rétablissement organisationnel après l'ouragan Katrina. Des entretiens en profondeur avec 56 organisations de la Nouvelle-Orléans ont permis une analyse longitudinale et un modèle de théorie ancrée illustrant la manière dont la communication distinguait quatre stades de rétablissement : l'urgence personnelle, l'urgence professionnelle, la transition et la reconstruction. L'action communicationnelle ayant lieu à travers les stades correspond aux mécanismes évolutionnaires. La plupart des organisations ne se sont pas tournées vers les relations interorganisationnelles avant le stade de transition, au cours duquel les liens indirects étaient cruciaux et la communication entrante était significativement différente de la communication sortante. Les organisations n'utilisaient pas systématiquement le capital social interorganisationnel avant le dernier stade. Cette étude souligne le fait que les organisations et leurs systèmes sont fondamentalement humains et (re)construits à travers l'action communicationnelle. Die evolutionäre Rolle von Kommunikation zwischen Organisationen: Die Modellierung von sozialem Kapital im Kontext von Katastrophen Marya L. Doerfel, Chih-Hui Lai, & Lisa V. Chewning Unter Anwendung einer gesellschaftsökonomischen Perspektive untersucht diese Studie, wie Kommunikation zwischen Organisationen und soziales Kapital die Erholung von Organisationen nach Hurrikan Katrina erleichterte. Tiefeninterviews mit 56 Organisationen in New Orleans ermöglichten eine Längsschnittanalyse und ein Grounded Theory Modell, welches zeigt, wie die Kommunikation sich in vier Phasen der Regeneration unterteilt: persönlicher Notfall, professioneller Notfall, Übergang, Erneuerung. Kommunikatives Handeln, welches in allen Phasen stattfand, korrespondiert mit evolutionären Mechanismen. Die meisten Organisationen wandten sich nicht Beziehungen zwischen Organisationen zu bis sie in die transitionale Phase kamen, in welcher indirekte Beziehungen wichtig waren und eingehende versus ausgehende Kommunikation fundamental verschieden waren. Organisationen nutzen soziales Kapital zwischen Organisationen durchgehend bis auf die letzte Phase. Die Studie unterstreicht die Tatsache, dass Organisationen und ihre Systeme elementar menschlich sind und durch kommunikatives Handeln konstruiert und rekonstruiert werden. El Rol Evolucionario de la Comunicación entre Organizaciones: Modelando el Capital Social en los Contextos de Desastre Marya L. Doerfel, Chih-Hui Lai, & Lisa V. Chewning School of Communication and Information Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA Resumen Empleando una perspectiva de comunidad ecológica, este estudio examina cómo la comunicación entre organizaciones y el capital social (SC) facilitaron la recuperación después del Huracán Katrina. Entrevistas en profundidad de 56 organizaciones de Nuevo Orleans permitieron un análisis longitudinal y un modelo de teoría construido sobre los datos que ilustran cómo la comunicación diferenció 4 fases de recuperación: emergencia personal, emergencia profesional, transición y reconstrucción. La acción comunicativa se lleva a cabo a través de las fases correspondientes con los mecanismos de evolución. La mayoría de las organizaciones no recurrieron a las relaciones entre organizaciones (IORs) hasta la fase transicional, durante la cual los lazos indirectos fueron críticos y la comunicación de entrada versus la de salida fueron substantivamente diferentes. Las organizaciones no son consistentemente usadas con IO SC hasta la última fase. Este estudio subraya el hecho que las organizaciones y sus sistemas son fundamentalmente humanos y (re)construidos a través de la acción de la comunicación. [source] Helping Following Natural Disasters: A Social-Motivational Analysis,JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 11 2009Zdravko Marjanovic The present investigation explores how judgments of responsibility influence affective and helping reactions toward natural-disaster victims. Guided by Weiner's (1995, 2006) theory of social motivation, we hypothesized that judging victims responsible for a disaster would indirectly lead to low rates of helping. Two studies tested this hypothesis. In Study 1, a bogus earthquake was used to test experimentally the effects of responsibility judgments (low, high). In Study 2, we surveyed attitudes about the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Our results showed that Weiner's model was supported across studies. Responsibility judgments led to anger and sympathy, and sympathy led to helping intentions, which in turn led to helping behavior. Comparisons across studies and the relationship between helping intentions and behavior are discussed. [source] Medium-term post-Katrina health sequelae among New Orleans residents: predictors of poor mental and physical healthJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 17 2008Son Chae Kim Aims., To assess the medium-term post-Katrina mental and physical health of New Orleans residents and to determine demographic, social and environmental factors that predict poor mental and physical health. Background., Major disasters can have a negative impact on the health of survivors for prolonged periods. Although the initial and short-term impacts of Hurricane Katrina have been well described, the medium-term impacts have not been studied as thoroughly. Design., Cross-sectional survey. Methods., A convenience sample (n = 222) of residents in Gentilly area of New Orleans completed questionnaires between 16 and 18 December 2006. Multivariate logistic regression and multiple regression models were employed to determine predictors of poor mental and physical health. Results., Poor mental health was reported by 52% of the respondents. Pre-Katrina depression [odds ratio (OR) = 19·1], post-Katrina depression (OR = 7·2), poor physical health (OR = 5·6), feeling unsafe from crime (OR = 4·3) and female gender (OR = 2·6) were significant predictor variables of poor mental health. Twenty-four percent of the variance in number of days of poor mental health was explained by the independent variables (R2 = 0·24; p < 0·001). Poor physical health was reported by 48% of the respondents. Poor mental health (OR = 3·9), lack of money to buy food (OR = 2·7) and pre-Katrina arthritis (OR = 2·6) were significant predictor variables of poor physical health. Twenty-three percent of the variance in number of days of poor physical health was explained by the independent variables (R2 = 0·23; p < 0·001). Conclusions., Approximately half of the New Orleans residents continue to experience poor mental and physical health 15 months after Katrina. The results support focusing post-Katrina efforts to protect residents from crime, improve mental health services to the depressed and improve food supply to the poor. Relevance to clinical practice., Identifying predictors of poor mental and physical health may help clinicians and policy makers to focus their efforts in ameliorating the post-disaster health sequelae. [source] News Images, Race, and Attribution in the Wake of Hurricane KatrinaJOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, Issue 3 2010Eran N. Ben-Porath This study looks at the effect of news images and race on the attribution of responsibility for the consequences of Hurricane Katrina. Participants, Black and White, read the same news story about the hurricane and its aftermath, manipulated to include images of White victims, Black victims, or no images at all. Participants were then asked who they felt was responsible for the humanitarian disaster after the storm. White respondents expressed less sense of government responsibility when the story included victims' images. For Black respondents this effect did not occur. Images did not affect attribution of responsibility to New Orleans' residents themselves. These findings are interpreted to support the expectations of framing theory with the images serving as episodic framing mechanisms. Les images médiatiques, la race et l'attribution à la suite de l'ouragan Katrina Eran N. Ben-Porath & Lee K. Shaker Cette étude explore l'effet des images médiatiques et de la race sur l'attribution d'une responsabilité quant aux conséquences de l'ouragan Katrina. Les participants, Noirs et Blancs, ont lu la même nouvelle concernant l'ouragan et ses suites, l'histoire ayant été manipulée pour inclure des images de victimes blanches, des images de victimes noires ou aucune image du tout. On a ensuite demandé aux participants de dire qui était selon eux responsable du désastre humanitaire ayant suivi la tempête. Les répondants blancs ont exprimé moins d'impressions de responsabilité gouvernementale lorsque l'histoire incluait des photos de victimes. Cet effet n'est pas apparu chez les participants noirs. Les images n'ont pas eu d'effets sur l'attribution de responsabilité aux résidents de la Nouvelle-Orléans. Ces résultats sont interprétés de manière à appuyer les attentes de la théorie du cadrage, les images servant de mécanismes de cadrage épisodique. Mots clés : attribution, race, cadrage de responsabilité, ouragan Katrina Nachrichtenbilder, Rasse und Zuschreibung im Fall Hurrikan Katrina Eran N. Ben-Porath & Lee K. Shaker Diese Studie betrachtet die Wirkung von Nachrichtenbildern und Rasse auf die Zuschreibung von Verantwortlichkeit für die Konsequenzen von Hurrikan Katrina. Die Teilnehmer schwarzer und weißer Hautfarbe lasen die gleichen Nachrichten über den Hurrikan und dessen Folgen. Die Bilder zeigten entweder weiße Opfer, schwarze Opfer oder es wurde auf eine Bebilderung verzichtet. Die Teilnehmer wurden dann gefragt, wen sie für die humanitäre Katastrophe nach dem Sturm verantwortlich machten. Weiße Teilnehmer zogen die Regierung weniger in die Verantwortung, wenn Bilder von Opfern gezeigt wurden. Für schwarze Teilnehmer zeigte sich dieser Effekt nicht. Die Bilder beeinflussten nicht die Zuschreibung von Verantwortlichkeit auf die Einwohner von New Orleans selbst. Diese Ergebnisse werden im Sinne der Annahmen der Framing-Theorie interpretiert, bei denen Bilder als episodische Framing-Mechanismen dienen. [source] ,Came hell and high water': the intersection of Hurricane Katrina, the news media, race and povertyJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2007Courte C. W. Voorhees Abstract The mass devastation and suffering left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in the US Gulf Coast brought the intersection of media and community into sharp focus. The news media played a pivotal role in almost every aspect of the disaster and its aftermath, and was harshly criticized for its depiction of minorities and for sensationalizing a human and environmental disaster. The literature suggests that media often represents minorities in a negative light, ultimately reinforcing existing social inequalities. This paper examines the portrayal of minority groups in the media during and after the storm. Data were coded from news media broadcasts to determine the nature of minority representation. Interviews were conducted with individuals from New Orleans who survived the disaster to understand issues related to media trust, the accuracy of media reports and perception of the media's portrayal of minorities. The results indicate that minorities are disproportionately shown in a passive or ,victim' role and are rarely shown in positions of expertize. Further, storm survivors indicated a misrepresentation of minorities in media coverage of the disaster, as well as reporting low levels of media trust and accuracy. The broader implications of these findings in relation to media reinforcement of social inequities and media responsibility are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Small Business in the Face of Crisis: Identifying Barriers to Recovery from a Natural Disaster,JOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2006Rodney C. Runyan The crisis management literature has not dealt in depth with small business response to disasters. This study takes a qualitative approach to consider how small businesses respond to and recover from a large disaster, by interviewing stakeholders in five different communities in the Gulf Coast of the United States. Events that are considered to be crises in nature are usually characterized by high consequence, low probability, ambiguity, and decision making time pressure. Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath caused small business owners in the U.S. Gulf region to experience each of these. Findings include lack of planning by small business; vulnerability to cash flow interruption; lack of access to capital for recovery; problems caused by federal assistance; and serious infrastructure problems impeding recovery. [source] CONOPS and autonomy recommendations for VTOL small unmanned aerial system based on Hurricane Katrina operationsJOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 8 2009Kevin S. Pratt This field study examines vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) small unmanned aerial system (SUAS) operations conducted as part of an 8-day structural inspection task following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. From the observations of the 32 flights spread over 12 missions, four key findings are identified for concept of operations (CONOPS) and the next level of artificial intelligence for rotary-wing SUASs operating in cluttered urban environments. These findings are (1) the minimum useful standoff distance from inspected structures is 2,5 m, (2) omnidirectional sensor capabilities are needed for obstacle avoidance, (3) global positioning system waypoint navigation is unnecessary, and (4) these operations require three operators for one SUAS. Based on the findings and other observations, a crewing organization and flight operations protocol for SUASs are proposed. Needed directions in research and development are also discussed. These recommendations are expected to contribute to the design of platforms, sensors, and artificial intelligence as well as facilitate the acceptance of SUASs in the workplace. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Evolution and field performance of a rescue robotJOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 1-2 2008Mark J. Micire Robots are slowly finding their way into the hands of search and rescue groups. One of the robots contributing to this effort is the Inuktun VGTV-Xtreme series by American Standard Robotics. This capable robot is one of the only robots engineered specifically for the search and rescue domain. This paper describes the adaptation of the VGTV platform from an industrial inspection robot into a capable and versatile search and rescue robot. These adaptations were based on growing requirements established by rescue groups, academic research, and extensive field trials. A narrative description of a successful search of a damaged building during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is included to support these claims. Finally, lessons learned from these deployments and guidelines for future robot development is discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Pandemic influenza and the hospitalist: Apocalypse when?JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2006James C. Pile MD Abstract Beginning with a cluster of human cases in Hong Kong in 1997, avian influenza (H5N1) has spread progressively through, and beyond, Asia in poultry and other birds; and has resulted in sporadic cases of human disease associated with high mortality. The potential for H5N1 influenza to cause a pandemic of human disease continues to be the subject of intense scrutiny by both the media and the scientific community. While the likelihood of such a prospect is uncertain, the inevitability of future pandemics of influenza is clear. Planning for the eventuality of a virulent influenza pandemic at the local, national and global level is critical to limiting the mortality and morbidity of such an occurrence. Hospitalists have a key role to play in institutional efforts to prepare for a influenza pandemic, and should be aware of lessons that my be applied from both the response to Hurricane Katrina, as well as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2006;1:118,123. © 2006 Society of Hospital Medicine [source] Harnessing Catastrophe to Promote Resource Recovery and Eco-industrial DevelopmentJOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Kristen B. Ardani Summary Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, causing widespread damage to industry, housing, and infrastructure. The area of New Orleans East was particularly devastated, including a cluster of industries, such as a major food-processing plant, manufacturing facilities, and bulk material and gas processors. Although this area was well suited for resource recovery and eco-industrial linkages, little progress has been made in implementation. This article explores New Orleans as a case study in the application of industrial ecology to disaster management. Hurricane Katrina's damage to New Orleans resulted in a significant increase in the amount of waste flowing into New Orleans East, which precipitated a massive expenditure of federal funds toward debris management. Those circumstances created an unprecedented opportunity to capitalize a resource recovery program and to establish eco-industrial relationships, both of which would have resulted in new jobs and environmental improvement. Yet straightforward opportunities for resource recovery and eco-industrial linkage were overlooked or dismissed, in spite of antilandfill activism from the environmental community and formal recommendations for recycling from scientists and other professionals. We describe the specific resource recovery and eco-industrial opportunities that were available to New Orleans East, especially those that were magnified by Hurricane Katrina, and analyze the barriers that prevented their actualization. We also provide recommendations for overcoming barriers to resource recovery and eco-industrial progress with the goal that future postcatastrophe scenarios may benefit from more effective use of relief and recovery funding. [source] When the Levee Breaks: Treating Adolescents and Families in the Aftermath of Hurricane KatrinaJOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY, Issue 2 2008Cynthia L. Rowe Hurricane Katrina brought to the surface serious questions about the capacity of the public health system to respond to community-wide disaster. The storm and its aftermath severed developmentally protective family and community ties; thus its consequences are expected to be particularly acute for vulnerable adolescents. Research confirms that teens are at risk for a range of negative outcomes under conditions of life stress and family disorganization. Specifically, the multiple interacting risk factors for substance abuse in adolescence may be compounded when families and communities have experienced a major trauma. Further, existing service structures and treatments for working with young disaster victims may not address their risk for co-occurring substance abuse and traumatic stress reactions because they tend to be individually or peer group focused, and fail to consider the multi-systemic aspects of disaster recovery. This article proposes an innovative family-based intervention for young disaster victims, based on an empirically supported model for adolescent substance abuse, Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT; Liddle, 2002). Outcomes and mechanisms of the model's effects are being investigated in a randomized clinical trial with clinically referred substance-abusing teens in a New Orleans area community impacted by Hurricane Katrina. [source] Feasibility and effectiveness of cognitive,behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in preschool children: Two case reportsJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 4 2007Michael S. Scheeringa New evidence raises concerns that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in preschool children is unremitting over years even with unstructured community treatment. This report presents proof of concept of the feasibility and effectiveness of a structured therapy, cognitive,behavioral therapy (CBT), for preschool PTSD that follows a range of different traumatic events. Two cases are presented, including transcribed dialogue, from a motor vehicle accident and Hurricane Katrina, respectively. Three key CBT feasibility questions were examined; it was concluded that (a) young children can cooperate meaningfully in structured, trauma-related exposure exercises; (b) they can utilize relaxation techniques successfully; and (c) highly anxious parents do not inhibit their children's improvement per se as long as they can facilitate the manual techniques. Clinicians need to be aware of emerging evidence-based treatment for preschool children. [source] A NEW NEW ORLEANS?JOURNAL OF URBAN AFFAIRS, Issue 3 2008LOCAL RELATIONSHIP IN THE RECOVERY PROCESS, UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF HISTORY AND THE STATE ABSTRACT:,Two years after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the city still struggles to rebuild and recover. In this article, we examine how deeply rooted historical patterns of state,local conflict reasserted themselves even after the terrible destruction of Katrina and the redemptive promise of a new beginning. We also explain how state government, some city leaders, and most New Orleanians took advantage of the opportunities presented by Hurricane Katrina to change certain aspects of governance in New Orleans. This research highlights the importance of the state,local relationship in understanding urban affairs and the critical nature of historical patterns and their persistence. State,local conflicts over finances, control of local politics, and cultural differences have plagued New Orleans for decades, and they continue to do so in the post-Katrina era. [source] CPR will honor GE's vice president & general counsel Brackett B. Denniston IIIALTERNATIVES TO THE HIGH COST OF LITIGATION, Issue 9 2005Russ Bleemer CPR's offer to insurers in response to the devastation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina; details on CPR's Corporate Leadership Award Dinner next month honoring General Electric Co.'s vice president and general counsel, Brackett B. Denniston III, and more. [source] Technology use in campus crisisNEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT SERVICES, Issue 124 2008Jeanna Mastrodicasa College students are connecting with peers and college administrators in different ways in times of crisis. Lessons learned from the impact of Hurricane Katrina and the mass shooting at Virginia Tech have shifted the methods of response in the event of campus crisis to newer technologies. [source] Queering the Disaster: A Presidential SessionNORTH AMERICAN DIALOGUE (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2007William L. Leap The 2007 SANA meetings on "Unnatural Disasters" used Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath as the focus of its scheduled sessions, and for scholarly and activist reflection on this theme. As the planning for the conference unfolded, we recognized that a very important component of the Katrina experience, related to our own work in North American anthropology, needed to be part of the conference program. New Orleans is a city with a long-standing queer counter-culture, many of whose participants are black and many of whom were hardest hit by the hurricane and flooding. We organized a session "Queering the Disaster," designed to document the queer presence in the Katrina experience, and, thereby draw attention to the need to include attention to marginal sexualities in anthropological studies of unnatural disasters [source] Crisis planning: Survey results from Hurricane Katrina and implications for performance improvement professionalsPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 3-4 2008Holly M. Hutchins Modern organizations constantly face unparalleled changes and uncertainty in the competitive world, thus requiring strategic planning to mitigate crisis conditions. Underscoring crisis plans are performance interventions that prepare employees, technological systems, and the organizational culture to effectively respond to a crisis event. However, crisis planning has been an overlooked area in the performance improvement literature. In the present study, we review results of a survey on crisis planning conducted by the research team seven months after Hurricane Katrina. Specifically, performance improvement professionals (n=129) employed by organizations located along the western Gulf Coast were surveyed on the existence and composition of their organization's crisis planning before and after Hurricane Katrina. Results indicate that organizations did increase crisis planning during the post-Katrina period, and that crisis plans consisted of components and activities supported in the literature. We use these results to identify and discuss how performance improvement professionals might leverage their knowledge of human performance technology (HPT) in supporting organizational crisis planning efforts. [source] "Chocolate City" Politics: Race and Empowerment in the First Post-Katrina New Orleans Mayoral ElectionPOLITICS & POLICY, Issue 3 2008Allan McBride The first New Orleans mayor's election after Hurricane Katrina took place in May of 2006. The setting for the election is perhaps unique in American history: the total evacuation of the city after the hurricane with less than half of its citizens returning by the time of the election, possibly as much as 60-80 percent of the city destroyed, and the African-American community in danger of losing its hold on the city's formal power structure. As a black empowerment zone, the city has had a series of black mayors since the 1970s. In early 2006 the demographics of the city remained uncertain. Although the hurricane loomed as the single largest issue in the election, race was the subtext. Analysis of precinct voting data points to the significance of race and empowerment in the final results. [source] The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Mental and Physical Health of Low-Income Parents in New OrleansAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2010Jean Rhodes The purpose of this study was to document changes in mental and physical health among 392 low-income parents exposed to Hurricane Katrina and to explore how hurricane-related stressors and loss relate to post-Katrina well-being. The prevalence of probable serious mental illness doubled, and nearly half of the respondents exhibited probable posttraumatic stress disorder. Higher levels of hurricane-related loss and stressors were generally associated with worse health outcomes, controlling for baseline sociodemographic and health measures. Higher baseline resources predicted fewer hurricane-associated stressors, but the consequences of stressors and loss were similar regardless of baseline resources. Adverse health consequences of Hurricane Katrina persisted for a year or more and were most severe for those experiencing the most stressors and loss. Long-term health and mental health services are needed for low-income disaster survivors, especially those who experience disaster-related stressors and loss. [source] Responding to the Needs of Children and Families After a Disaster: Linkages Between Unmet Needs and Caregiver FunctioningAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2010Ryan P. Kilmer Disasters may negatively influence caregivers' ability to respond to the needs of their families. In this context, service organizations' response to families' needs may affect caregivers' symptoms and parenting. Interviews were conducted with caregivers affected by Hurricane Katrina approximately 1 year (T1; N = 68) and 2 years posthurricane (T2; N = 52). Caregivers reported high levels of service needs and unmet needs for themselves and their child(ren) and family at both time points. Regression analyses indicated that after accounting for hurricane exposure: (a) child unmet service needs significantly contributed to T1 caregiver distress, (b) caregiver service needs and child unmet needs were associated with higher levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms, and (c) caregiver unmet needs related to greater strain at T1. At T2, after accounting for T1 scores, service need variables did not contribute to distress or posttraumatic stress symptoms. Caregiver strain at T1 and T1 child service needs were associated with greater T2 strain. These findings highlight the importance of extending the availability of services beyond the initial postdisaster recovery period to better meet the needs of caregivers and families. [source] Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Children After Hurricane Katrina: Predicting the Need for Mental Health ServicesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2009Howard J. Osofsky MD The purpose of this study was to examine factors related to the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms in children and adolescents after Hurricane Katrina. It was hypothesized that a positive correlation would exist between trauma exposure variables and symptoms indicating need for mental health services experienced 2 years after Hurricane Katrina. Specifically, the authors hypothesized that experiences associated with natural disaster including personal loss, separation from family and/or community, and lack of community support as well as previous loss or trauma would be related to increased symptomatology in both children and adolescents. This study included 7,258 children and adolescents from heavily affected Louisiana parishes. Measures included the Hurricane Assessment and Referral Tool for Children and Adolescents developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN, 2005). Results were generally supportive of our hypotheses, and specific exposure and demographic variables were found to be strongly related to posttraumatic stress symptoms in children and adolescents. [source] Changes in children's peer interactions following a natural disaster: How predisaster bullying and victimization rates changed following Hurricane KatrinaPSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 4 2009Andrew M. Terranova Youth exposed to disasters experience stress and adjustment difficulties, which likely influence their interactions with peers. In this study, we examined changes in bullying and peer victimization in two cohorts of children. Youth from an area affected by Hurricane Katrina were assessed pre- and postdisaster (n = 96, mean [M] = 10.9 years old, 53% female), and a comparison group from a nearby area was assessed over the same time interval 1 year prior (n = 120, M = 10.2 years old, 52% female). Within the hurricane group, relations between symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with bullying and victimization also were examined. Following the hurricane, the hurricane group reported increased relational and overt bullying relative to the nonhurricane group, and PTSD symptoms predicted increased victimization. Thus, school personnel should be vigilant and prepared to respond to increased bullying following disasters and for increased victimization in youth experiencing PTSD symptoms. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Administrative Failure and the International NGO Response to Hurricane KatrinaPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 2007Angela M. Eikenberry The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent failure of government agencies and public administrators elicited an unprecedented response by international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) to a disaster in the United States. This paper focuses on why so many INGOs were compelled to provide humanitarian assistance and relief in the United States for the first time and the administrative barriers they faced while doing so. What does such a response reveal about administrative failures in the wake of Katrina, and what might the implications be for reconceptualizing roles for nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations in disaster relief? The authors answer these questions using data from interviews with INGO representatives, organizational press releases and Web sites, news articles, and official reports and documentation. [source] Communicating throughout Katrina: Competing and Complementary Conceptual Lenses on Crisis CommunicationPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 2007James L. Garnett Hurricane Katrina was as much a communication disaster as it was a natural and bureaucratic disaster. Communication gaps, missed signals, information technology failures, administrative buffering, turf battles, and deliberate and unintentional misinterpretations delayed and handicapped both the recognition of the crisis that Katrina posed and the response to its devastation. This essay views crisis communication through four conceptual lenses: (1) crisis communication as interpersonal influence, (2) crisis communication as media relations, (3) crisis communication as technology showcase, and (4) crisis communication as interorganizational networking. A conceptual framework is presented that compares these lenses with regard to agency, transparency, technology, and chronology. The planning, response, and recovery stages of the Hurricane Katrina disaster are viewed through these communication conceptual lenses, illustrating key facets of each perspective and adding to our deepening understanding of the events. Many of the problems we have identified can be categorized as "information gaps",or at least problems with information-related implications, or failures to act decisively because information was sketchy at best. Better information would have been an optimal weapon against Katrina. Information sent to the right people at the right place at the right time. Information moved within agencies, across departments, and between jurisdictions of government as well. Seamlessly. Securely. Efficiently , One would think we could share information by now. But Katrina again proved we cannot. ,U.S. House Select Bipartisan Committee With the floodwalls gashed and hemorrhaging billions of gallons of water into the city, it was only a matter of a few hours on Monday before the communications citywide began to fail , Communication was about to become the biggest problem of the catastrophe. ,Christopher Cooper and Robert Block, Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security Truth became a casualty, news organizations that were patting their own backs in early September were publishing protracted mea culpas by the end of the month. ,Matt Welch, "They Shoot Helicopters, Don't They?" [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||