Sandra Tellez
Design and Society
New Orleans did not collapse from Hurricane Katrina
When some think of Katrina, most people focus on the affects Katrina had on the city of
New Orleans and not the actual hurricane. They remember seeing people stranded at the
Superdome, on top of their homes, on their TVs and water everywhere where boats are needed to
move from place to place. They would hear FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
and New Orleans residents tell their stories of how they lost everything. Was there any indication
that New Orleans would have ended up as it did and eventually crumble? No one would think
that a city of such rich culture and history could disappear. There are historians and other out
there who believe there are points to determine if a society collapsed. In his novel “Collapse:
How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed” Jared Diamond states 5 key points to determine if a
society collapsed, “environmental damage, climate change, hostile neighbors, friendly trade
partners… and the society’s responses to its environmental problems” (11). These points may not
weigh equally when determining which one contributed more to a collapse, but they do
intertwine with one another and affect one another. Climate change can be caused by
environmental damage, and hostile neighbors can affect friendly trade partners. There might only
be one point shown determining if a society has collapsed. Katrina itself is not a collapse; after
all it was just a hurricane. Can we say New Orleans collapsed because of Katrina? Is there any
chance of people not coming back? The answer is no. New Orleans was greatly affected by
hurricane Katrina in many ways but was not destroyed by Katrina.
Hurricane Katrina affected our society’s views on several different issues. These views
range from how we affect our environment to how we prepare when disaster strikes. “Because
we are the cause of our environmental problems, we are the ones in control of them, and we can
choose or not choose to stop causing them and start solving them” (Diamond, 521). These points
of view range on severity for each individual. The fact that the people returned, are rebuilding
the city, and learned from Katrina to avoid repeating the tragedy, we can clearly say New
Orleans did not collapse because of Katrina.
New Orleans is famous for many things ranging from great architecture to music before
Katrina. Tourists would go to Bourbon Street, enjoy Mardi Gras, listen to jazz music, eat great
food; the list goes on and on. It was also famous for the fact that most of the city was below sea
level. This could be seen as a reason why New Orleans could have collapsed.
What started out as a small city grew by drying out wetlands, and having people settle on
the dried out land. It was no secret that the city was prone to flooding. Many hurricanes have hit
the city, displaying the power these hurricanes have at a level 3 as seen with having levees
protecting the city hurricanes up to level 3. A level 5 hurricane, the highest a hurricane can reach
was not seen as a possibility for most of the residents of New Orleans. Past hurricanes hinted at
the possibility of receiving a more disastrous hurricane. Most of the people of New Orleans did
evacuate the city when warned of the possibility of such strong hurricanes. The fact that the
people of New Orleans have encountered strong hurricanes before made those who stayed
behind think they were capable of surviving. Not everyone had a form of transportation to leave.
Some did not want to leave their stuff behind. Others were not able to move without the
assistance from someone else. Still some believed it would be like any other hurricane and the
danger would eventually pass. The government did not believe the levees they built would be
capable of holding back so much water that devastated New Orleans otherwise they would have
made them stronger.
Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005. The actual hurricane was not the reason
why New Orleans was greatly affected. The failure of the levees, the final barrier from the sea
New Orleans had, was the problem. While the city was ordered to evacuate, not everyone had the
chance to exit the city. The 9th ward was the area with the most damage and was also the poorest
part of the city. “Even within New Orleans, it was mostly the rich who opted for the high ground
and the poor who lived below sea level. Why? Because it's cheaper below sea level. But not as
cheap as it would be in a world without federal disaster assistance” (Landsburg).
It is understandable that as the water rose up people panicked and did not know what to do. What
mattered is that they were still alive, nothing else. Tragically some lost their lives as a result
while others lost all they had except their lives. Even so, the people of New Orleans did not
allow this to stop them from going back to their beloved homes.
The fact that people returned to New Orleans shows, they still believe in the city and that
it did not collapse. There are many reasons as to why they returned. The biggest reason why is
that New Orleans is their home. They grew up in the city, and most had many generations living
in New Orleans. It is not easy to give up these feelings. Though they have the chance to move to
other places, it would not be the same. Anyone who has moved knows how hard it could it is to
leave things behind and still feel that a new place is their home. You can move as much as you
want to but you cannot call every place you go to home.
Even though Katrina took many valuables, cars, houses, schools, clothes, etc. the people
of New Orleans would not allow it affect their lives more than it already has. There hope of
having things normal as possible did not disappear. They are willing to fight for what was left
and even start from scratch if necessary. The courage and strength shown by the people of New
Orleans reflects how much they believe in their city and make New Orleans feel as much as
possible as it did before Katrina hit the city.
The passion with which New Orleans residents work with one another shows how much
they care for each other and show each other they can rebuild the city. “Returning residents see
the reopening of schools and grocery stores, the resumption of church services, and calls for
neighborhood association meetings as signs of community rebirth” (Chamlee-Wright, 239).
Things can be accomplished easier if we work with one another and not against each other. Not
only that but things are accomplished faster if more work together. “The most prevalent of these
[community rebuilding] strategies is mutual assistance, by which storm survivors support one
another by exchanging labor, expertise, shelter, child-care services, and tools and equipment.”
(Chamlee-Wright, 239) The people of New Orleans spirit was obviously affected by Katrina but
the fact that they can rely on others from the city gives them something to look forward to and
that rebuilding the city can and will happen.
Rebuilding a city is not easy, but it can be done. One of the things that make this possible
for New Orleans is the many donations given to the city. The government was not the only
source who donated to New Orleans. People from the US and other countries helped as well with
homes, food, clothes, etc. It does not take much to spend money and we sometimes do not realize
how much money little things add up to when up together. Money goes into many things, not just
buildings or things such as cars. A doll can put a smile on a little girls face or a blanket can make
an older person sleep easier. Money is not everything but it is necessary when rebuilding a city.
Building homes takes more than just materials. It takes labor, and many people working
together. Volunteering also went into distributing food and clothing, among many other things.
For whatever reason people volunteered, it was greatly appreciated by the people of New
Orleans. It feels good when you do things for others and it feels even better when you know they
are grateful for it. With donations and volunteering, the people came back to New Orleans, the
city is being rebuilt; it shows New Orleans it is not collapsing.
There are many things the people of New Orleans can learn from Katrina to avoid
any future disasters. The biggest lesson they can learn is that any protection they take must be up
to the task, and is strong enough for the worse possible scenario. The levees are where this lesson
can be best applied. When reconstructing them, these levees must be able to resist a level 5
hurricane. They should also be routinely inspected so that any problems arising can be handled
quickly and avoid any future problems. The city is below sea level so these levees must be up to
the task.
The people of New Orleans, especially those with few resources, should have an
evacuation plan. They must know how to evacuate (ex. Cars, bus, etc.), cooperate with the law
and their neighbors, and have a way to communicate with others. If they do not have a car of
their own, they should know if others give them a ride or if there is a place they can go to, to take
another form of transportation to leave the city. They should understand that if police officers are
telling them to leave something behind, or to take a certain route, it is because they only want the
best for them. If they have other members in their family or close friends, they should have a
way to communicate with them to avoid any possible problems of losing each other. The people
of New Orleans now have more information on what to do, and what not to do, to decrease stress
and fear, when the next powerful hurricane hits New Orleans.
There are other changes that can be taken to help insure New Orleans Does not collapse.
Understand that the wetlands destroyed could have reduced Katrina’s impact on New Orleans.
Global warming might have also affected Katrina. We must understand that we affect our
environment, and that this can have great consequences. “Which of the values that formerly
served a society well can continue to be maintained under new changed circumstances? Which of
those treasured values must instead be jettisoned and replaced with different approaches?”
(Diamond, .523) if we are willing, we can make changes in our lives to reduce the chance of
having disastrous events. “…While it won’t be easier to reduce our impact, it won’t be
impossible either.” (Diamond, 534).
With the evidence given in this paper, we can clearly say New Orleans did not collapse
from Katrina. While there were many factors such as having the majority of the city demolished
or fewer students returning, “…approximately 30,000 students who attend public schools in
Orleans and St. Bernard Parish nearly two years after the storm, down from more than 75,000
before Katrina hit.” (O'Brien) or that many chose not to come back, given that could point
otherwise, there were more factors, the city is being rebuilt and has help in many ways that
outnumber them. It is true that environmental damage could have affected the climate and that
the city did not assert issues such as the wetlands that also affected the city but the city is still
standing and is doing whatever is needed to keep it this way.
We can all agree that the way New Orleans was affected by Katrina is something we
wished did not occurred. We did not want people to lose their lives, their homes, their valuables
both physical (i.e. houses, cars, electronics) and emotionally (i.e. photos, baby clothes, wedding
dresses). We can’t avoid thinking of Katrina when mentioning New Orleans. It is part of the city
and will always be identified that way. Some may view this in a negative way because it was a
disaster but it can also be seen as a time when the people of a country came together once again
and did what they were capable of, whether it was donations or volunteering to show the people
of New Orleans they were not alone. The people of New Orleans showed themselves and the
world a society can overcome any obstacles to avoid a collapse. Yes there were many “what ifs”
we could have done to avoid or reduce the consequences but we should not focus on the past but
instead the future and make sure such an even does not happen again.