The purpose of this study was to examine how five African American middle school students, who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina represent their literacy experiences before, during, and after their displacement. Specifically, the two research questions were: (a) What are the stories that these middle school students tell about their lives, before, during, and after their displacement, and (b) What do their stories reveal about their literacy experience before, during, and after their displacement? Narrative Inquiry was the chosen methodology for the study, which allowed the participants to tell their experiences from a first-person perspective. It also encouraged the participants to reflect upon these experiences, in order to give meaning to their thoughts and emotions. Employing a critical lens and perspective, I constructed a narrative profile for each participant, which was then analyzed using these methods. Each narrative profile detailed the literacy experiences of the participants before Hurricane Katrina, during the transition period, and current literacy experiences now that the participants are resettled and attending school in the host city. These data were supplemented by archival data such as report cards, individual education plans (IEPs), and Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) scores. Data analysis of the five participants’ literacy experiences revealed common themes. These participants have pleasant memories of school literacy before the storm and mentioned “choice” as a component of those experiences. During the transition period, few or no literacy experiences took place. Hence, there were missed opportunities for the participants to use literacy experiences to make connections to their new world. Participants reported current classroom and school experiences were controlled environments that led to controlled literacy experiences. This compartmentalization of literacy experiences is not consistent with the critical literacy perspective adopted in this study. Their interviews suggested that they that they saw no connection between school literacy and their literacy experiences outside school.

Survival and growth of two oak species, water oak (Quercus nigra) and swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii), and three planting stocks: 1-0 bareroot, conventional containerized, and EKOgrownTM seedlings were compared for two growing seasons. Conventional containerized seedlings had the best survival. Bareroot seedlings had the second highest survival and EKOTM seedlings had the lowest at the end of two growing seasons. Conventional containerized planting stock exhibited greater groundline diameter (GLD) growth for both species at the end of the first growing season compared to bareroot and EKOTM planting stock. Bareroot seedlings had similar GLD growth to EKOTM seedlings for both years. Conventional containerized seedlings height differed in water oak but did not differ in swamp chestnut oak at the end of year two compared to bareroot seedlings. EKOTM seedlings exhibited severe dieback at the end of both growing seasons and the least amount of height growth.

This paper identifies social conditions that shape perceptions of risk to environmental toxins among residents in the Gulf Coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina. Demographic information from a randomly selected sample of 2,548 residents was used to explore the concept of the "White male effect" as discussed in previous literature, which has found that white males are particularly risk accepting compared to all other race and gender groups. This analysis also evaluated the influence of trust in government and beliefs about environmental justice on perceived exposure and compared responses from residents within and outside the City of New Orleans to determine whether there is evidence of location-specific differences. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed strong support for the combined race and gender effects proposed by previous literature. Additionally, hypotheses regarding the influence of trust in government and belief in environmental injustice were supported. Suggestions for future research and policy implications are discussed.

Many bottomland hardwood stands in southern Mississippi lacked management prior to Hurricane Katrina. Following removal of overstory oaks, no seed source was available to naturally regenerate these stands. Artificial regeneration became the most viable option, but information was lacking on how to successfully reestablish thousands of acres of bottomland forests quickly and successfully. Bareroot and conventional containerized seedlings of Nuttall oak (Quercus texana) and swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii) were planted on two sites in southern Mississippi. After two growing season’s Nuttall oak exhibited similar survival to (93.4%), better groundline diameter growth (13.0 mm) than, and better height growth (68.8 cm) than swamp chestnut oak (92.5%, 6.6 mm, 43.9 cm, respectively). Bareroot seedlings had the highest survival (94.5%), best groundline diameter growth (10.3 mm), and best height growth (66.6 cm), though conventional containerized seedling survival (91.4%), groundline diameter growth (9.3 mm), and height growth (46.0 cm) were all acceptable. Considering seedling cost and overall performance, bareroot seedlings provide the most effective option for artificial regeneration on high quality bottomland hardwood sites.

Across the Deep South: A Linked Story Collection focuses on the establishment and reestablishment of themes that reflect the mutability of characters over time, along with the equally mutable notion of identity found within the cultural context of the modern Southern United States. The stories follow the paradigm of Sherwood Anderson’s linked story collection Winesburg, Ohio in that character and geographical location combine over the course of multiple stories to recontextualize theme and character development through intertextual cohesiveness. Preceding the collection of stories is a critical introduction that considers the linked story collection as an independent form of fiction occupying a distinct space between the non-interrelated short story collection and the novel.

No description available.

No description available.

En Août 2005, l'ouragan Katrina s'est abattu sur la ville de la Nouvelle-Orléans, en Louisiane causant mort, désespoir, angoisse mais aussi destruction massive. Katrina a forcé une partie de la population affectée à déménager, et à chercher refuge dans les états voisins. Face aux premières images de l'une des pires catastrophes des Etats-Unis, la prépondérance des AfricainsAméricains parmi les victimes a été choquante. Katrina a révélé au monde entier et a mis sous les projecteurs la persistance de l'esclavage, du racisme et des inégalités raciales. Les AfricainsAméricains ont dû s'organiser seuls au Superdome et au Convention Center pour sur/vivre. Ce travail de recherche analyse le lien étroit qui existe entre les notions de «race» de classe et la géographie. Nous examinerons les concepts hautement controversés de « refugiés » et de « pilleurs» dans le contexte américain. Nous chercherons à comprendre comment l'histoire et le racisme peuvent influencer les comportements et les décisions politiques. Etait-ce une catastrophe naturelle, un désastre créé par l'humain ou une crise héritée de legs culturels? La culture et la race ont été les facteurs principaux de cette tragédie. Nous traiterons de cette catastrophe non pas comme un simple phénomène cyclonique mais comme un évènement culturel. La culture a successivement condamné et sauvé les Africains-Américains en 2005. Le jazz, le blues et le hip-hop ont été de véritables atouts suite à Katrina. Les Africains-Américains ont utilisé ces genres musicaux afin d'exprimer leur chagrin et colère. L'écriture est devenue une véritable thérapie assimilée à une catharsis. Grâce à cela, ils ont pu dire non à une annihilation programmée / In August 2005, hurricane Katrina made landfall on the city of New-Orleans, Louisiana causing not only death, despair, anguish but also massive destruction and subsequent relocation. As the catastrophe made headlines worldwide, people were shocked by the overwhelming preponderance of the African American poor among those stranded within the city. Many explained the disproportion as a result of continual neglect. The devastation left by Katrina brought to light the enduring legacy of slavery, racism and racial inequality. African Americans were left alone to fend for themselves at the Superdome and at the Convention Center. This doctoral research provides an insight into the correlation between race, class and geography. We will explore the highly controversial concepts of "the refuge(s)" and "looters" in the US context. We will try to figure out how history and cultural racism influence behaviors and political decisions. Was Katrina a natural catastrophe, a man-made disaster or a cultural crisis? Besides race, culture seems to be a major component in this tragedy. We delve into this analysis from the framework of cultural studies. On the one hand, culture condemned African-Americans in 2005, but on the other hand, it put them out of harm's way. Jazz, blues and hip-hop became serious assets in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. African-Americans used these musical genres to express grief and anger. They used writing as a powerful tool to recover from Katrina. Jazz, blues and hip-hop proved to be synonymous with catharsis

Thesis (M.A.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Geography, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

The traditional role of the active-duty military force at home is one of support to a civilian Lead Federal Agency (LFA) that primarily falls under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). During emergencies, military domestic assistance is historically provided when local, state, and federal resources have been overwhelmed. During and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, however, the slow and perceived inept response to the massive disaster prompted a national debate on the appropriate role of the military in response to major domestic disasters. Many concerned with the federal response to Katrina believed that America's homeland security system could not aptly respond to a large-scale natural or man-made catastrophe without the military in a lead role. Defining the roles and understanding the responsibilities outlined for the Department of Defense (DOD) within the National Response Plan (NRP) is an important first step towards an effectively coordinated incident response. The purpose of this research is to explore the role of the active-duty military in domestic disaster response, using Hurricane Katrina, to determine if DOD and DHS response to the disaster was implemented according to the NRP. This research will help explain the role that the military plays in supporting the civilian LFA in disaster response.