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LATINOS IN THE AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE
KATRINA: AN EXAMINATION OF RESILIENCY AND INCORPORATION
Research by Dr. Elaine Lacy
Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies, Arnold School
of Public Health
 The
researchers examined how Latinos along the Gulf Coast
managed during and after Hurricane Katrina. University
of South Carolina researchers set out to assess this
population group’s resiliency, coping mechanisms, and
activities during reconstruction. The broader objective
of the study was to examine the extent and processes of
immigrant incorporation into the fabric of U.S. society.
The researchers collected demographic information about
Latinos in the region and asked how their subjects
learned about the storm, their preparations for and
actions during the storm, their problems and coping
mechanisms during and afterward, the extent and nature
of help they received, and their experiences in the
cleanup and reconstruction phase. They also gathered
information on the financial, physical, and emotional
toll their experiences had on this population group.
USC researchers conducted 165 face-to-face interviews
with Latinos who were either displaced by Katrina, rode
out the storm or returned to their homes shortly
afterward, and/or are participating in reconstruction
efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi. These interviews
gave researchers a better understanding of the
perspectives and experiences of Latinos impacted
directly by Katrina and its aftermath, ways in which
Latino communities receive and process information, how
their social networks operate, how government and social
service organizations responded to this population
group, and the extent to which Latinos are being
integrated into host communities.
For example, of those interviewed in New Orleans, 42
percent rode out the storm, many because of lack of
transportation, lack of resources, lack of understanding
of the storm’s power, or their advanced age. Before,
during, and after the storm, Latinos depended
predominantly on family members and on others within the
Latino community for guidance and economic and emotional
support, suggesting continued strong ethnic ties despite
many years in the U.S. Most Latinos learned of the
storm’s approach from television or radio, and more
learned from Spanish language media than from
English-language media.
Preliminary findings of this study indicated a high
level of resiliency among Latino immigrants who were in
Katrina’s path. Even though many learned of the storm
quite late in the process, USC researchers discovered
that virtually all those who left before the storm
arrived did so with the assistance of family members or
other Latinos and have relied on family or other Latinos
for assistance since then. Those who stayed also counted
on family or other Latinos for support. Most received
financial help only from the Red Cross.
 Further,
through the voices of those participating in the cleanup
and rebuilding efforts, USC researchers are learning
more about the vulnerability of relatively recent
immigrants and the flaws in reconstruction processes.
Unfortunately, the research revealed that Latinos
involved in reconstruction efforts have suffered abuses
at the hands of labor contractors and have encountered
health problems as a result. Roughly one-third had lived
in Texas before the storm, and most plan to leave the
area after their work is completed, according to USC
research. USC researchers found that the demographic
profile of Latinos in Katrina’s path differs from that
of Latinos in the region to participate in
reconstruction efforts. The former include mostly
Central Americans who are older, better-educated, and
who have been in the U.S. longer than the predominantly
Mexican workers involved in reconstruction.
An understanding of how Latinos gain information and
make decisions, how their social networks operate, and
of their economic and other limitations will help
communities better prepare for such events in other
parts of the country. Further, any abuses of Latinos and
other minorities should be made public, researchers
concluded, and many of the Latinos interviewed were
grateful for the opportunity to have their voices heard.
USC researchers consider the information they gained
vital for policy-making in all areas affected by
hurricanes and other natural disasters.
The project provided USC an opportunity to train
graduate students in research techniques and to engage
in interdisciplinary collaborative research. This
project also strengthened research connections within
the Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies and helped
USC researchers connect with researchers in other
institutions.Biography
Dr. Elaine C. Lacy is professor of history at the
University of South Carolina at Aiken and director of
research activities for the Consortium for Latino
Immigration Studies at the University of South Carolina
at Columbia. Since the 1980s, she has examined Latino
immigration and incorporation into U.S. society. Her
work focuses on Latino immigration and settlement
processes in the Southeast. Dr. Lacy is co-editor of a
volume, “Mexican Immigration to the Southeast: Impact
and Challenges” (2005), and has numerous articles,
scholarly papers, and presentations on Latino
immigration Research Team/Collaborators:
Dr. Elaine Lacy, professor of history at USC Aiken
and director of research initiatives at USC’s Consortium
for Latino Immigration Studies, served as principal
investigator. Co-principal investigator is Dr. DeAnne
Messias, associate professor with a joint appointment in
Women’s Studies and Nursing at USC. Other investigators
include Dr. Arlene Andrews, director of USC’s Center for
Child and Family Studies, and Pamela Gerth, adjunct
professor in USC’s Department of Languages, Literature
and Cultures. The researchers collaborated with graduate
students at USC and at LSU on the project. |
