There is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster: Race, Class, and Hurricane Katrina

The central message of this book is the central message of Katrina. Social and political forces, not natural forces, accounted for the devastation and unequal impact of that devastation on New Orleans and the Gulf region. Failure to maintain the levees, the concentration of poverty, and racial segregation of neighborhoods are the primary causes of the damage of the storms and the disproportionate costs that poor people and people of color paid. This book closely examines the wide ranging challenges now facing New Orleans in a series of essays written by leading scholars and activists. The call for a more transparent, democratic approach to planning is critical for New Orleans and for metropolitan areas across the country that, in fact, are dealing with many of the same challenges. The introductory chapter by the editors alone is worth the price of admission.

This is a powerful and thought-provoking book that is an important read for anyone who wants to understand what really happened in New Orleans, why it happened, and what we should do, both to relieve the suffering of those who have been directly affected in this instance and to prevent such a disaster from repeating itself elsewhere. The articles look insightfully at the race and class issues that formed the backdrop for the aftermath of Katrina and explore what must happen now if we are to redeem the many promises that have been made to the displaced people of the Gulf Coast. Of equal importance, the book serves as a warning to other cities that unless they address race and class issues, they cannot escape a similar fate if a disaster strikes them. The authors--and the editors--are authorities on race and class issues, and they know whereof they speak. Not only do I highly recommend this book, but I intend to use it in a class I teach on race.

Hartman and Squires have assembled a comprehensive set of essays, by a range of activists and scholars, some from national groups, some based in the Gulf area, covering most of the key issues about the impact of the August 2005 storms. It reveals the misleading notion of "natural diaster" and shows the underlying political, economic, and social forces that led to the Katrina disaster in the first place, and then led to the bungled efforts at both emergency assistance and long-term rebuilding of the areas. It is a useful course reading assignment on urban policy in general, race, poverty, and the individual topics covered: housing, schools, health, economic development, planning.