Discuss the impact of social classes with hurricane katrina and its aftermath - Essay Example

Effects of Hurricane Katrina on the people in New Orleans New Orleans is susceptible to hurricanes and storms. It lies above the Gulf of Mexico where huge storms build up. The Mississippi river runs through the settlement and the Lake Pontchartrain is situated to its North. Most of all, the city is below sea level. All these factors make it very vulnerable to hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina that struck in 2005 had calamitous and long term effects on New Orleans. This storm was one of the deadliest and costliest natural disasters in America.

The storm claimed thousands of lives and caused further damages of more than $100 billion. It flooded the whole of New Orleans as well as the adjoining areas. The observers of the storm and the survivors both faced severe distress and losses such as property destruction, shortages of fuel, prolonged electricity failures. Many had to evacuate from their homes and resettle in other places. Many people suffered from anxiety disorders together with PSTD and depression which was mostly as a result of watching long television coverage of the storm and its victims.

In several researches the results showed that maximum percentage of people who experienced anxiety disorders was solely because of watching the coverage of the storm, looting in particular. Most of the survivors turned towards prayers and religion for seeking refuge from the distress and to cope with the trauma.More than 28% of the residents of New Orleans lived in extreme poverty. Of those 84% were African Americans. Most of the city’s low income population lived in the flood plain areas which were severely inundated when the canals flooded.

The people who had the resources to drain the excess water lived in areas of higher grounds; hence those deprived people living in the lowland areas were harshly struck. It enforced the people to take shelter on the streets, under freeway bridges, in sports arenas as the hurricane left no other option open to them. Food and safe drinking water shortages gave way to theft, murder, violence and also racial aggression as most of those who were terribly affected were Blacks. (UN-HABITAT)However the privileged class also suffered a major setback as the Hurricane destroyed people’s businesses and the city’s economy.

The tourism industry of New Orleans faced a massive setback and people started moving out of the city and the state of Louisiana to look for employment. The survivors were patients to water borne diseases such as dysentery and cholera. Family members were separated from one another and lost contact as they took shelter in different evacuation camps. The city is also one of the centers for higher education with universities such as Loyola University New Orleans, Xavier University of New Orleans, Tulane University, Dillard University, Louisiana State University Medical School and Southern University of New Orleans.

Hence the educated class and those going to college had to bear immense losses in terms of studies. (Michael L. Dolfman)This disaster is regarded as a representation of class and race division in America. All of the dreadfully affected were poor as they lived in the low land areas where the storm caused most havoc and devastation. It portrayed a picture similar to the war in Somalia or the tsunami aftermath in Indonesia. The reports covered by the media showed from no angle that this city belonged to one of the richest countries in the world.

(UN-HABITAT)References:Logan, John R. "The Impact of Katrina: Race and Class in Storm-Damaged Neighborhoods." Brown University. .Michael L. Dolfman, Solidelle Fortier, Bruce Bergman. "The effects of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans economy." June 2007. Monthly Labor Review. .UN-HABITAT. "New Orleans: Poor residents suffer deepest impact of Hurricane Katrina." 2006/2007. .