ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an empirical analysis of the reconstruction of residential housing in the Lower Ninth Ward, considering pre-storm problems, flood damage, and policy impediments to recovery. It provides pre-Katrina data about racial disparities in housing security and affordability. The chapter examines the physical data forming the basis for depopulation plans, reporting the results of a survey of 3,211 residential units for structural damage, flood damage, and recovery activity. It explores The Road Home program’s effectiveness in assisting Ninth Ward homeowners’ rebuilding. The chapter argues that due to pre-storm inequities in housing and program specifics, the post-Katrina Road Home program for housing recovery did not provide sufficient access or resources to meet the housing needs of large numbers of low- and moderate-income African-American families in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina. Research on housing-related policies and outcomes after numerous US natural disasters provides a picture of recovery disparities based on race, class, and gender.
