Hurricane Katrina Case Study

Even though it has been about a decade since New Orleans was hit by Hurricane Katrina, there are still residents who have not been able to return home. This natural disaster affected the individuals living in this Gulf Coast city and did not leave one person unscarred by the physiological stress of living through this type of event. Weems et al. (2006) found that, “The residents of the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina were subjected to a large number of traumatic events and experienced a number of psychological symptoms in the relatively immediate aftermath of the hurricane” (pp. 2302). Losing so much at once can have an emotional effect on an individual, and this can be made worse if that person is pregnant. “Prenatal maternal stress has been found to have long-lasting effects on the behavioral and physiological development of the offspring,” (Weerth and Buitelaar, 2005, pp.1). Furthermore, their research goes on to find that during pregnancy, “These programming effects on the fetus would be physiologically mediated through heightened and/or abnormal activity of the maternal sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system (SAM) and especially of her

hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA-axis)” (Weerth et al. 2005, pp.1). Further research by Talge, Neal, and Glover (2006) finds that, “In general, studies point to a small, but reliable link between prenatal stress and pregnancy outcomes in humans” (pp.246).
The effects of the hurricane caused a deep division between race and class when it comes to the people living in this area.

According to a research done by Elliot and Pais (2006), “In this case, it is a region cross-cut by deep and complex divisions of race and class that have hardened over time without direct interference from outsiders” (pp. 317). When it comes to race, the role of how individuals responded to the hurricane before it hit comes into play. “Our findings indicate that blacks across the region were less inclined than whites to evacuate before the storm, mostly because they did not believe the hurricane would be as devastating as it eventually was,” ( Elliot et al., 2006, pp.317). Many of those who stayed believed that the government had built the levees to withstand any natural disaster that would hit the

city.
Research conducted found:
Previous experience and public assurance suggests that this personal risk assessment may not have been as irrational as it now appears. Reports indicate that had the levees been built and inspected with the integrity typically expected of the Army Corps of Engineers, they would have likely survived the storm sparing the city from the massive flooding that eventually covered 80% of its area (Elliot et al., 2006, pp.317).
Countless individuals were left living in a state of confusion and chaos, because not only was unemployment high due to the aftermath of the hurricane, but many were left homeless and forced to relocate. Elliot et al. states that, “Our findings indicate that Black workers from New Orleans were four times more likely than white counterparts to lose their jobs after the storm,” and “ Home ownership provides survivors power over when and to what extent personal return and rebuild will occur” (2006, pp. 317). Despite a large buildup in the lower ninth ward, less than half of the residents, who were predominately black and poor, have returned. “The Lower Ninth Ward is still struggling to rebuild. Despite a $500 million investment from the city, fewer than half of the 14,000 residents who were there pre-storm have returned,” (Jervis, 2015).
In conclusion, until the government in the state and city can come up with a way to rebuild affordable housing, many of those affected by the worst hurricane New Orleans has seen will not be able to return. The effects felt by those who were pregnant then and know because of Katrina have a good chance of being seen after their babies are born due to early delivery and smaller size at the time of birth due to both anxiety and depression caused by social and economic causes.