Work

Life after Hurricane Katrina: The Resilience in Survivors of Katrina (RISK) Project

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: This article presents an overview of the findings to date of the Resilience in Survivors of Katrina (RISK) Project, a longitudinal study of 1,019 young, predominantly female and African American community college students who were surveyed a year before Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and then two to three times afterward. This study combines a multidisciplinary, multimethod approach to understanding the immediate and long-term effects of the Katrina disaster on physical and mental health, economic and social functioning, and neighborhood attainment. I discuss what we can learn from the rare inclusion of predisaster data and our unusual ability to follow participants for years after the disaster. I argue that it is important to follow the recovery of individuals and communities as well as the recovery of the city, as these are often not the same, especially in Katrina where a large proportion of the city never returned.

Source: Sociological Forum

DOI: 10.1111/socf.12271

Author: Mary C. Waters

Institution: Harvard University

Language: English

Topic: Disaster Management and Resilience

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development