Weil, LSU Post-Katrina Survey - Presentation of 1/20/09

LSU Post-Katrina Studies of Community Resilience: Data Collection Methods & Results Rick Weil Department of Sociology, LSU [email_address] www.fweil.com

LSU Post-Katrina Surveys in Baton Rouge: Impact on the Community; Helping cope with the Disaster (supported by NSF)

Total Interviews = 2,960 in 3 waves:

September 27 to November 29, 2005 (N=1,349)

February to April, 2006 (N=1,008)

March to April, 2007 (N=603)

Half the households in Baton Rouge housed Evacuees … almost entirely relatives and friends. Factoid: Southern Louisiana has some of the densest social networks in America. Question:

Where would disaster evacuees have gone if this had happened some other place?

Hint: The Authorities would have to figure that out…

Two thirds of people in Baton Rouge did volunteer relief work – most more than once. Most of them volunteered with Religious Organizations.

Social Capital and Stress People with the best social networks were initially most stressed because they were most involved in relief work. They also recovered the fastest.

LSU Post-Katrina Surveys in Greater New Orleans: Studies of Community Resilience in partnership with community leaders (supported by NSF)

Total Number of interviews = ca. 3,500

Lakeview subsample: N=280

St. Bernard subsample: N=345

Eastern N.O. & Gentilly subsample: N=321

FEMA Trailer Parks subsample: N=133

Partners Community Samples: Examples Faith-Based membership groups Catholic Archdiocese. Endorsed survey and put a notice in weekly bulletin to parish church leaders. Varying partnership with individual parish churches, including very close with large churches in Lakeview and Chalmette, and moderate with churches in Metairie and Gentilly. Jewish Federation. Active support and assistance by Federation and Synagogues. Rs contacted by email, answered on web. Various African-American churches & organizations , e.g., Operation Brother’s Keeper. Other denominations , incl Episcopalian Diocese and United Methodists. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary has discussed cooperation. Other Faith-Based Groups Operation Nehemiah volunteers went door-to-door, conducting face-to-face interviews. Congregation B’nai Israel Hurricane Relief Committee , partnered with resident leaders and volunteers at Renaissance Village and other trailer villages. Service Providers, Nonprofits, and Volunteer Agencies Catholic Charities of N.O. and Baton Rouge, through their Community Centers and case managers Americorps, Hands-On , Student Hurricane Network, and others. Generally, partner with community organizations to utilize volunteer assistance. Sweet Home New Orleans , an agency that assists New Orleans musicians. Community Groups and Neighborhood Associations Broadmoor Improvement Association has distributed survey by email, on website, at neighborhood meetings, and door-to-door. Fr. Nguyen The Vien and Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church and Community Development Corp. Questionnaire translated into Vietnamese; interviews currently being done, directed by community leadership. A couple dozen Neighborhood Assns , including in Lakeview, Pontilly, eastern New Orleans, Central City, Gert Town, Holy Cross/Lower 9 th Ward, Treme/Lafitte. Advocacy Groups ACORN. Telephone interview among Acorn members from the Acorn offices and face-to-face interviews at Acorn-sponsored community meetings. PolicyLink. We are conducting surveys with Church & community leaders in Orleans & Terrebonne Parishes. Rs Reached directly, without Associations New Orleans Times-Picayune : their nola.com community forums posted a link to the survey. Indirect Assistance Steven Bingler, Concordia LLC and the Unified New Orleans Plan. He also organized the Community Center Consortium, which led to other contacts Government Agencies and Agency Contracts Providence Community Housing. Commissioned to build mixed-income housing to replace housing developments. We have submitted joint proposal with PCH to do surveys & damage assessments in the Tremé/Lafitte area. Various Schools are sending the paper questionnaire home with students to their parents to fill in and return. Also: partnership with FEMA VALs (Voluntary Association Liaisons), several New Orleans City Council members, the Baton Rouge Mayor’s office, Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA), and others.

Images of Data Collection: Renaissance Village, FEMA Trailer Park We worked with the resident leaders of Renaissance Village, served a Jambalaya dinner, brought in a New Orleans brass band … and conducted the survey with the help of 30 resident volunteers.

Images of Data Collection: Pontchartrain Park & Gentilly Woods (Pontilly) We worked with the Pontilly Neighborhood Association, who brought in 40 law student volunteers from around the country. We went door-to-door with them, doing the survey, and shared the results with the community.

Images of Data Collection: Young Men Olympians Social Aid & Pleasure Club (Central City) We worked with the Young Men Olympians, the oldest Social Aid & Pleasure Club, celebrating its 125 th anniversary, and student volunteers from New Orleans colleges. We shared a meal & danced to the Free Agents Brass Band.

Location of Interviews (partial)

Demographic Characteristics

Storm Damage

Storm Damage (Data from City)

Storm Damage (Data from LSU Survey)

New Orleans Jewish Community: Residences Before & After Hurricane People Moved Out of the Flooded Areas

New Orleans Jewish Community: Where did people from Flooded Areas Move? [#1]

New Orleans Jewish Community: Where did people from Flooded Areas Move? [#2]

New Orleans Musicians: Residences Before & After Hurricane People Moved Out of the Flooded Areas

New Orleans Musicians: Where did people from Flooded Areas Move?

Musicians' Conditions since the Storm Results of a Follow-Up Survey (N = 53)

NOLA YURP (Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals) “Brain Gain:” Where are they from? N=426. Data collected summer, 2008.

NOLA YURP (Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals) “Brain Gain:” Where Are They & When Did They Come? N=426. Data collected summer, 2008.

NOLA YURP (Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals) “Brain Gain:” They are highly engaged in civic affairs. N=426. Data collected summer, 2008.

NOLA YURP (Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals) “Brain Gain:” What’s Important to Them? N=426. Data collected summer, 2008.

NOLA YURP (Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals) “Brain Gain:” They have been very active in recovery work. N=426. Data collected summer, 2008.

NOLA YURP (Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals) “Brain Gain:” They are more committed to staying than the general population (they say) . N=426. Data collected summer, 2008.

Want to Live in New Orleans

Expectations of Storm Recovery

Optimism about Flood Protection

2011 2007 Pre-Katrina U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Estimates that Flood Risks Will Decline as Levee Repair Proceeds: “ 1% Hurricane,” Assuming Pumps work at 50% Capacity

Resources to Rebuild

Cooperation in Recovery Work

Degree of Hurricane Recovery

What’s Needed in order to Return

People are More Worried about Health Care in the East, where there are Fewer Medical Facilities

Stress Due to Hurricane - 1

Stress Due to Hurricane - 2

Social Support Reduces Stress: Church Attendance

People derived mostly warm and supportive feelings from their faith. They do not feel they are being punished

Social Support Reduces Stress: Café at Renaissance Village It was a pretty bleak place. We wanted to create a community center where people could get together, talk, get information. We subscribed to 15 magazines of the residents’ choice, the local paper, and provided free coffee. It did what we hoped – 600 unique visitors a month – and was cost-effective.

Government Job Responding to Hurricane

Nonprofit Job Responding to Hurricane

Vietnamese and Jewish Community Leaders Comparing Notes on Recovery Strategies. Item: It’s not all “Culture.” Lots of it is Strategy and Planning that others can adapt.

The “Roots of Music” After-school music program for middle school kids. Social Action Research: Building social capital for the kids and their families, while conducting our survey of their parents. Organizing meeting at Café du Monde, during JazzFest, April 2008. Derrick Tabb, at right, Program Director & snare drummer for the Rebirth Brass Band. Classes at the Contemporary Arts Center, with Band Director Lawrence Rawlins, June 2008

Collaboration with PolicyLink: Surveys of Churches & Congregations in Orleans & Terrebonne Parishes

Collaboration with LouisianaRebuilds.Info: Surveys of Contractor Fraud throughout southern Louisiana

The Neighborhoods Partnership Network (NPN) A nonprofit, citywide network of neighborhoods. We will be collaborating on an organizational survey with NPN, and creating a multi-level data set.

LSU Post-Katrina Studies of Community Resilience: Data Collection Methods & Results Rick Weil Department of Sociology, LSU [email_address] www.fweil.com