ABSTRACT
Hurricane Katrina and the disaster that ensued, focused the world’s attention on the underside of the Crescent City—and renewed sobering questions concerning our nation’s commitment to its most vulnerable citizens. The scientific response to the disaster in New Orleans included evaluation of air quality, sediment and soil contamination, and drinking water quality. A series of decisions by federal agencies led New Orleans to follow the pattern of many urban centers in the United States, which went from reasonably integrated to dramatically racially and economically segregated. The coalition of local environmental justice groups and the national environmental group developed and published a community-driven ten-point plan of action designed to serve as a template for ongoing work in the region. The struggle to ensure the right of return, justice, equity, and democracy for all Orleanians is the untold story that will potentially shape the future of social relations in the post-Katrina environment.
