ABSTRACT
Introduction ...................................................................................................... 54 Literature Review and Theory ....................................................................... 55
Counties as Engines of Economic Growth .............................................. 55 Competition, Cooperation, and Rural Governance ............................... 56 Governmental Response Postdisaster ...................................................... 58 Theory: Rural versus Urban Economic Development ........................... 59
Hypotheses ........................................................................................................ 61 Data and Methods ............................................................................................ 61
Case Descriptions ........................................................................................ 61 Variables ....................................................................................................... 63 Rural Economic Data .................................................................................. 64 Independent Variables ................................................................................ 65
Methods and Analysis ..................................................................................... 67 Findings ............................................................................................................. 68
New Orleans and the State of Louisiana ................................................. 68
In September 2005, the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes hit the Atlantic seaboard, making landfall in the state of Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina caused an estimated $81 billion worth of damage to the Gulf Coast, and Hurricane Rita, which followed a few weeks later, caused an additional $4 billion to $5 billion worth of damage (Bratton and Haynie, 1999; Bratton et al., 2006; Burby, 2006; Department of Homeland Security, 2006; Saulny, 2006). Nearly 2,000 lives were lost during the storms, and an additional 250,000 residents were displaced after the disaster, some permanently. In the wake of these natural disasters, disaster preparedness, mitigation, and postdisaster local revitalization took center stage as federal, state, and local government entities took stock and created plans to rebuild the Gulf region.
