There is No Such Thing As a Natural Disaster: Race, Class, and Hurricane Katrina (review)

Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating hurricanes in U.S. history, resulting in more than 1,300 deaths, displacing more than 2 million people, and reversing the long-term trend of declining mortality resulting from disasters in the United States. Particularly hard hit by the disaster, were African Americans and the poor who lived in the area "protected" by the failed levee system. As a result, New Orleans lost almost half its population to other geographic regions in the United States.

Katrina brought to the forefront systemic and institutional failures and inefficiencies regarding disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. It showed that despite decades of warnings regarding the potential catastrophic consequences of an event of this nature (especially in New Orleans), local, state and federal governments were ill-prepared to respond. Moreover, Katrina exposed the consequences of decades of institutionalized discrimination and inequality, resulting in extreme human suffering, devastation and economic losses for individuals and families on the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder.

For the past five decades or so, social scientists studying disasters have disputed that disasters are not "natural," but socially constructed events, which are influenced by demographic and socio-economic characteristics, social and cultural norms, prejudices and values. Numerous articles and books have been written with titles such as "disasters are not natural," "disasters by design," the "unnatural history of natural disasters," "catastrophe and culture," and "disasters and development." Disaster scholars have long argued that factors such as class, race, ethnicity and gender, among others, have a significant impact on the outcomes or consequences of disasters. That is, low-income individuals, minorities, women, the elderly and other disenfranchised groups are disproportionately affected by disasters, as Hurricane Katrina demonstrated. It should be noted, however, that the chronic and endemic social reality which emerged during Katrina is analogous to the realities of many impoverished communities throughout the world. Recent events, such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami (2005), the Kashmir Earthquake (2005), Hurricane Jeanne in Haiti (2004) and the Bam Earthquake (2003) show how decades of inequality, stratification and extreme poverty can exacerbate the effects and consequences of hazard events.

The edited volume, There is no Such Thing as a Natural Disaster: Race, Class, and Hurricane Katrina, seeks to explore many of the aforementioned issues. Most, if not all the authors, emphasize the importance of pre-existing social, economic and political conditions that led to an event with catastrophic consequences for the most vulnerable population groups in the region. In their introduction (Pre-Katrina, Post-Katrina), the editors set the stage for the remaining chapters by highlighting that "the most salient and ongoing story [of Katrina] is one of poverty and racism" and that the aftermath of Katrina needs to be understood in the context of the "history and the legacy of inequality," which is rooted in slavery. These themes – particularly the focus on race and class, but also on gender and politics – run throughout many of the chapters in this volume. Some authors argue that many of those disproportionately impacted by the disaster were not only Black and poor (see Powell et al.), but also women (Jones-Deweever and Hartmann), the elderly (see Morganroth Gullette) and those with disabilities.

The book covers a number of important substantive areas related to the aftermath of Katrina, including rebuilding and recovery, relocation, housing, public education, environmental conditions, and the healthcare infrastructure. In his chapter, Powers provides an important historical overview, focusing on the "lessons learned" for disaster recovery (many of which have been forgotten – as the case of Hurricane Katrina illustrates) from events such as the Chicago 1871 fire, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and Hurricane Andrew (1992). The strength of this edited volume lies in its multidisciplinary approach, which includes contributions from well-known scholars, practitioners and activists. A practical approach is evident throughout the book, highlighting recommendations for the reconstruction of New Orleans...