ABSTRACT
Hurricane Katrina quickly became iconic among environmental and social justice scholars and activists for its revelatory images and immediate uncovering of racial disparities in the US. The storm, the flood and the incompetent response by government agencies have become a part of our collective memory. By far the largest recipients of these failures have been the poor and minority residents of New Orleans driven out of their homes in record numbers. The initial US government failures of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), followed by similarly poorly organized programmes, such as the Road Home programme, designed to compensate homeowners in rebuilding, left New Orleanians looking elsewhere for help. Fortunately, other programmes, under the auspices of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), religious groups and even, in this example, a competent, small government agency began to fill in where FEMA and large programmes had failed. While this amalgam of diverse groups has not been a replacement for a well-run, large-scale rebuilding programme citywide, it has provided much-needed help to more needy neighbourhoods. In order to understand the difficulties as well as the successes and resilience of New Orleans’ residents and the synergies of outside aid groups, we chose to study one important historic neighbourhood in the city – Tremé.
