The After August Museum collects and exhibits an open, user-generated body of content. Its primary objective is to help heal the post-Katrina Lower Ninth Ward community. It is respectful and considerate of the area's established traditions, present concerns, and future goals. The museum assumes multiple shapes and plays multiple roles as it acts as the center of the transitioning community.

Cause lawyers maintain primary commitments to causes and pursue political and moral objectives that go well beyond the traditional lawyering objective of client service, which is the goal of most conventional lawyers. In this research I conduct in-depth interviews with cause lawyers involved in efforts for social change in post-Katrina New Orleans to develop a richer understanding of their roles within social movements and how they conceive of and negotiate the core tensions in their work. I investigate the lawyers' roles within social movements situated in legal, political and social climates that are overwhelmingly inhospitable to their ultimate goals. Ultimately, this research presents a portrait of cause lawyers who develop alternative modes of practice that are more commonly associated with movement organizers and more closely aligned with movement goals of individual and community empowerment than are traditional models of lawyering.

Samba drumming and dance traditions work in New Orleans in ways that they do not elsewhere. Casa Samba, a drumming and dance troupe in the tradition of the Brazilian escolas de samba, shows how it works. Integral to this analysis of Casa Samba are the ways in which the group's identity and the identities of its individual members are processual, mutable, and "unfinished, always being remade" (Gilroy 1993:xi). This thesis examines how Casa Samba has situated itself in the New Orleans music scene. This work seeks, through ethnographic interviews with long term members, to identify what makes Casa Samba attractive to New Orleanians who choose to join this musical troupe as opposed to the myriad of other musical organizations available. Finally, this thesis looks at Casa Samba's post-Katrina rebirth and the ways in which the group's willingness to continuously evolve throughout its history has made this rebirth possible.

Dubbed the "most murderous" and "deadliest" city in the United States during 2006, 2007 and 2008, New Orleans has wrestled with crime and murder since its founding in 1718. Following Hurricane Katrina the city saw an increase in the murder rate despite a sharp decrease in population. The focus of this project was to map homicide data trends in the city of New Orleans over a period of seven years, 2002 to 2008, and compare spatial and temporal patterns via GIS. NOPD homicide location data were geocoded and analyzed in ESRI's ArcGIS geospatial software. Methodologies of hotspot detection included point maps, choropleth graduated color maps, and quartic kernel density maps. The project's goal was to not only detect hotspots, but to create a synoptic view of shifting homicide trends throughout the city of New Orleans, highlighting the impact of Hurricane Katrina.

On August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near New Orleans, LA, causing catastrophic damage to the metropolitan area. The hurricane also exposed many of the racial, ethnic, and class-based vulnerabilities experienced by many New Orleanians. However, as is typically the case, gender was ignored in most media accounts in the aftermath of the disaster. This project examines the gendered dimensions of the disaster experience using New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina as a case study. Evidence from University of New Orleans Survey Research data indicates various gender differences from the initial response to the recovery efforts months later. Few gender differences were found regarding physical loss and displacement after the storm; however, psychological effects did often differ along gender lines, with women more likely than men to experience psychological symptoms directly after the storm, while men were likely than women to be affected approximately one year later. Interestingly, gender differences in evacuation plans and behavior varied according to whether or not a disaster had recently occurred. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, women were more likely than men to report having evacuated for Hurricane Georges, though no other variable was statistically significant. After Katrina, men were more likely than women to have an evacuation plan in place, while women were more likely than men to report a willingness to evacuate when recommended by local level officials, which they did when Hurricane Rita threatened the area. Public policy implications are discussed.

Youth traumatized by natural disasters report high levels of posttraumatic stress as well as other types of impairing emotional distress symptoms (e.g., anxiety and depression) for many years post-trauma. Implementing school based screening and treatment programs for these youth eliminates barriers to traditional treatment settings and may provide symptom relief. The current study examines the feasibility of conducting school-based trauma-focused treatment program in the wake of disaster. Idiographic evaluation of the treatment process is incorporated into the treatment evaluation through use of multiple baseline design. Youth reporting at least severe levels of posttraumatic stress on the PTSD-RI were recruited for an expanded assessment and treatment (youth ages 8-13; N=6). Treatment (i.e., the StArT program) consisted of 10-weekly individual sessions during which different cognitive behavioral components were introduced. Youth were assessed at pre-treatment, weekly during treatment, and at post-treatment. Quantitative and qualitative findings relative to youth responses to intervention are presented and discussed in terms of the feasibility of conducting treatment in school settings and in terms of individual difference factors contributing to treatment responses. Findings from this study suggest the feasibility of school based interventions through the aid of school counselors and integration of treatment sessions into the school schedule. Youth responses to the intervention were very positive, point toward the efficacy of a disaster trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy (the StArT program), and help to highlight particularly useful modules in youth.

Comprised of four essays, this collection of creative nonfiction focuses on facets of daily life and culture in Germany. The author recounts her experiences as she and her family assimilate into a foreign culture and adapt to using its language. The first essay tells of the family’s unexpected but rewarding sojourn in Germany after losing everything to Hurricane Katrina. The subsequent essays display a broader range of experiences and cultural observations upon the family’s return to Germany four years later. These include a narrative of the family’s move to a small town in central Germany, an interview with a local asparagus farmer and an account of the author’s children’s efforts to learn German.

This qualitative case study explores the post-Katrina experiences of African Americans in Houston and in New Orleans. When the levees failed, residents from New Orleans were scattered across the country. Houston housed the largest population of displaced low-income African Americans from New Orleans. As the rebuilding process began, housing, employment, education, and healthcare policies in New Orleans changed. These institutional changes employed urban revitalization and poverty removal strategies adapted to disaster recovery. This study differs from previous research by examining these changes with an intersectional approach. It explores how African Americans frame obstacles as they attempt to return to a city with reformed housing, employment, education, and healthcare policies. To do this, I analyze three different cases 1) those that returned to New Orleans, 2) those still displaced in Houston, and 3) those that relocated to Houston after returning to New Orleans for over a year.

This paper aims to explore and discuss the points found in published research articles addressing posttraumatic stress disorder in children following the Bosnian Genocide, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina. The articles vary in their emphasis, methods, and conclusions, but all focus in one way or another on how the occurrence of war, terrorism, and natural disaster have resulted in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in youth. Intervention following traumatic events, however, rarely focus on treating mental health needs, and instead, focus on resolving any primary needs of vulnerable populations. The recommended treatment strategies for PTSD in youth require high quality mental health care and great accessibility for victims of trauma. Considering the high prevalence of PTSD in children following traumatic experiences, treatment of PTSD symptoms is necessary to ensure that youth can fully function in their daily lives without a constant reminder of the trauma they experienced.

The stress and trauma exposure associated with disasters can lead to mental health problems. Studies have indicated a high prevalence of mental health problems among Hurricane Katrina survivors, in general, with worse mental health outcomes among survivors located in the New Orleans Metropolitan area as compared to those in other affected areas. Furthermore, in comparison to previous disaster research that typically shows decreases in mental health problems two years following disaster, the Katrina literature indicates continually elevated levels of mental health problems for this time frame. The proposed study examines the long-term mental health outcomes among Hurricane Katrina adult survivors residing in the metropolitan New Orleans area, two years after the storm. Specifically, the present study explores whether evacuation status and other hurricane-related stressors (length of displacement, neighborhood damage, and property damage) are related to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and hostility. The present study advances current knowledge by examining exposure to hurricane-related stressors, a broader range of mental health outcomes, and whether the relationship between the hurricane-related variables and mental health outcomes are moderated by income. The findings suggest that while evacuation status and hurricane-related stressors are not directly related to increased mental health symptoms, evacuation status is related to increased symptoms for those of low-income. Additionally, both age and gender predicted poor mental health outcomes. / acase@tulane.edu