Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on September 2, 2008) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense))--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2007. / Thesis Advisor(s): Gail Thomas. "March 2007." Includes bibliographical references (p. 111-116). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.J.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 147-159). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

AmeriCorps, the federal volunteer program developed in 1993, has won increasing political and cultural support since its development. Hurricane Katrina challenged program administrators to recruit and support volunteers in New Orleans, a uniquely devastated city. This qualitative study based on interviews with former volunteers examines the implications of AmeriCorps program policies for the recovery of post­Katrina New Orleans. Rooted in statements by the United Nations, the Federal Emergency Response Agency and local grassroots organizations, this study concludes that the AmeriCorps program was not effective in facilitating the return of displaced residents, appropriately utilizing city resources or maintaining strong accountability to those most affected by the disaster. Thus, the AmeriCorps program, which is not intended specifically for disaster relief, must be redesigned in order to accountably contribute to recovery in the cases of acute disaster.

An estimated 39 million m3 of timber was damaged across the Southeast Forest District of Mississippi due to Hurricane Katrina. Aggregated forest plot-level biometrics was coupled with wind, topographical, and soil attributes using a GIS. Data mining through Regression Tree Analysis (RTA) was used to determine factors contributing to shear damage of pines and wind-throw damage of hardwoods. Results depict Lorey’s Mean Height (LMH) and Quadratic Mean Diameter (QMD) are important variables in determining the percentage of trees and basal area damaged for both forest classes with sustained wind speed important for wind-throw and peak wind gusts for shear. Logistic regression based on stand damage classification compared to RTA revealed LMH, stand height to diameter ratio, and sustained wind variable concurrence. Reclassification of MIFI plot damage calls based on percentage of trees damaged increased predictability of wind-throw and shear classification. This research can potentially aid emergency and forest managers for better mitigation and recovery decisions following a hurricane.

Thesis (M.A.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2010. / Directed by Gwen Hunnicutt; submitted to the Dept. of Sociology. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Jul. 16, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-81).

This paper is drawn from oral history interviews from elderly residents who survived the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005. The aged faced similar challenges as their younger counterparts in the evacuation, aftermath, and rebuilding phases of the storm; however, their responses are limited by a number of factors that make the impact on their lives more intense. The majority of storm casualties in New Orleans were elderly. Those elderly who did survive the flooding experienced life-threatening physical and emotional stress. Life-altering changes, such as relocation from familiar neighborhoods to nursing homes in unfamiliar cities or a dependent life with family members, have often meant a loss of independence, a loss of community, and a loss of their sense of history. As natural storytellers, many elderly New Orleanians have important accounts to relate and oral history offers a method to preserve their narratives.

No description available.

Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on August 29th, 2005. It is considered to be one of the costliest and devastating disasters in the history of the United States. The storm flooded 70% of New Orleans resulting in more than 1,500 people losing their lives and the displacement of an entire urban population. Reconstruction over the past ten years has revitalized much of New Orleans, demonstrating a great resilience and determination of its people. Nonetheless, New Orleans is also experiencing the long-term effects of Hurricane Katrina where victims of domestic violence and the institutions that serve them have been forever changed. This dissertation examines perceptions of domestic violence and help-seeking behaviors among women in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans from 2005 to 2015. Findings show that many women face striking inequalities demonstrated in higher rates of poverty, lack of affordable housing, and one of the highest wage gaps in the United States. Patriarchal attitudes seen in legal institutions, the police force, and political systems contribute to the perception of a gender bias against women. This qualitative research uses a case study methodology and employs ethnographic methods of observation, including 31 in-depth interviews that capture the complexity of domestic violence and identify the social and economic dynamics that create barriers to help-seeking in New Orleans. The data contends that women who have increased access to informal and formal networks are able to enact behaviors that will allow them to seek help and extricate themselves from abusive relationships. These findings demonstrate that inequalities in post-disaster reconstruction have created barriers to help-seeking among victims of domestic violence. These barriers include the destruction of social capital, institutional failures, and limited economic resources. Likewise, findings reveal that attitudes and behaviors regarding domestic violence help-seeking are dependent on social and economic well-being. This highlights the need for more research and hard data on the incidence of domestic violence in New Orleans to learn the exact scope of the problem and how to overcome the social and economic barriers that perpetuate the cycle of domestic violence. / 1 / Kelley Virginia Ponder

The barrier islands of the gulf coast of the U.S. have been shaped and changed by hurricanes for centuries. These storms can alter the vegetation of the barrier islands by redistributing sediments, scouring off vegetation, physical damage to the plants, and by salt stress following the storm. Hurricanes also alter the mammal communities of the barrier islands through direct mortality and by altering vegetative communities. It is important to understand how the vegetation of barrier islands recovers after major hurricanes because the vegetation provides the structure that maintains and builds these islands. Following the landfall of Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, I studied the changes in the herbaceous ground cover and the density of woody plants in Gulf Islands National Seashore in Mississippi from the winter of 2005 to the summer of 2007. Growth from existing plants and seed banks quickly revegetated the islands after the storm. The amount of live ground cover increased and bare ground decreased on each island and in every vegetation type. Most woody plant species also showed a net increase in density, with the exception of pine (Pinus elliottii) and Florida rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides). The regeneration of woody species and the uniform increase in the live ground cover seemed to indicate that the vegetation of the islands was not irreversibly impacted. I also studied the changes in the composition of mammal populations in Gulf Islands National Seashore from the winter of 2005 to the summer of 2007. Prior to the storm 11 terrestrial mammal species were recorded in studies of the barrier islands. In the 2 years following Hurricane Katrina, I recorded only 1 of the 7 species on Cat Island, 5 of the 9 species on Horn Island and 2 species each on East Ship, West Ship, and Petit Bois Islands (which previously had 4, 4, and 2 each). Populations of mammals that used multiple vegetation types (raccoons [Procyon lotor], nutria [Myocastor coypus], and eastern cottontail [Sylvilagus floridanus]) seemed to show more tolerance to hurricane disturbance than more specialized species (black rat [Rattus rattus], marsh rice rat [Oryzomys palustris]). I also recorded at least one colonization event by river otter (Lutra canadensis), a species not recently recorded on the islands. This research serves as a baseline for future comparison following similar storms.