A presentation by University of Vermont sociologist Alice Fothergill on the 7-year study she co-authored on the significant, and often negative, effects Hurricane Katrina had on children. Listen to the corresponding podcast, including a public Q&A, at: http://www.uvm.edu/giee. This presentation occurred at the Gund Institute on Sept. 25, 2015 following the 10th anniversary of the disaster, and publication of Fothergill's co-authored book, "Children of Katrina."

1. Children of Katrina
The Gund Institute
September 25, 2015

4. August 29, 2005
Hurricane Katrina

5. 90,000 square miles declared a federal disaster area

6. 80% of New Orleans submerged

7. $81 billion in economic losses

8. Damaged or Destroyed:
2.5 million homes
10,000 businesses
150 schools
Damaged or Destroyed:

9. 1.5 million persons evacuated

10. 1,800+ Deceased

11. 5,000 children separated from parents

12. 372,000 school-age children displaced in
initial aftermath

14. Years after Katrina, 160,000
children remained displaced

15. Research Questions:
1) What happened to the children of Katrina?
2) What did they need during the emergency response and recovery
periods?
3) Who helped them?
4) How did they help themselves and other young people?
5) How did their lives unfold following the catastrophe and
displacement?

16. 7 years of research,
2005-2012

18. Data Collection

19. Data Collection
Observations of
children, youth,
and adults in
natural settings
Focus groups
with children
and youth
Interviews with
children and
youth
Focus groups
with adults
Interviews with
adults
using:
• Play dough
• Drawing
• Trajectory tracing and/or
• Flash cards

20. Drawing Prompt:
What did Katrina
look like?

21. Drawing Prompt:
What was
something good
that came out of
Katrina?

23. ~575
tertiary
children
60
secondary
children
25 core
children
7 focal
children
Children, Age 3-18, in the Sample

24. Family Members:
Parents, Siblings,
Grandparents, Aunts,
Uncles
Teachers , School
Administrators, School
Nurses / Custodians,
Childcare Providers
Neighbors, Friends,
Religious Leaders
Disaster Relief and Recovery Workers,
Social Workers
Adults in the Sample

25. Peers
Health
Extra-curricular
activities
Family
School
Housing
Spheres of
Children’s Lives

26. Three Post-Disaster Trajectories

27. Declining
Trajectory
• After an initial period of disruption and
minor decline, these children were able to
regain or attain stability with mobilization
of resources and social support.
Finding
Equilibrium
• These children had a mixed pattern of
post-Katrina stable moments followed by
unstable periods in one or more spheres of
their lives.
Fluctuating

28. • Children and youth experienced simultaneous
and ongoing disruptions in their families,
schooling, housing, health and health care,
friendships, and other key areas of their lives.
Declining
Trajectory
• After an initial period of disruption and minor
decline, these children were able to regain or
attain stability with mobilization of resources
and social support.
Finding
Equilibrium
• These children had a mixed pattern of post-
Katrina stable moments followed by unstable
periods in one or more spheres of their lives.
Fluctuating

29. • Children and youth experienced simultaneous
and ongoing disruptions in their families,
schooling, housing, health and health care,
friendships, and other key areas of their lives.
Declining
Trajectory
Finding
Equilibrium
Trajectory
• These children had a mixed pattern of post-
Katrina stable moments followed by unstable
periods in one or more spheres of their lives.
Fluctuating

30. • Children and youth experienced simultaneous
and ongoing disruptions in their families,
schooling, housing, health and health care,
friendships, and other key areas of their lives.
Declining
Trajectory
• After an initial period of disruption and minor
decline, these children were able to regain or
attain stability with mobilization of resources
and social support.
Finding
Equilibrium
Trajectory
• These children had a mixed pattern of post-
Katrina stable moments followed by unstable
periods in one or more spheres of their lives.
Fluctuating

31. • Children and youth experienced simultaneous
and ongoing disruptions in their families,
schooling, housing, health and health care,
friendships, and other key areas of their lives.
Declining
Trajectory
• After an initial period of disruption and minor
decline, these children were able to regain or
attain stability with mobilization of resources
and social support.
Finding
Equilibrium
Trajectory
Fluctuating
Trajectory

32. • Children and youth experienced simultaneous
and ongoing disruptions in their families,
schooling, housing, health and health care,
friendships, and other key areas of their lives.
Declining
Trajectory
• After an initial period of disruption and minor
decline, these children were able to regain or
attain stability with mobilization of resources
and social support.
Finding
Equilibrium
Trajectory
• These children had a mixed pattern of post-
Katrina stable moments followed by unstable
periods in one or more spheres of their lives.
Fluctuating
Trajectory

33. Year 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> 7
HurricaneKatrina-2005
Fluctuating
Declining
Finding
Equilibrium

34. Before
Disaster
During
Disaster
After
Disaster

35. Declining Trajectory

36. Finding Equilibrium Trajectory

37. Fluctuating Trajectory

38. How did children and youth
help themselves and others?

39. Final Thoughts
• Children are at risk in future disasters
• Recovery is a long process
• Structural disadvantages are most influential
• Children have unrecognized capacities
• More research needed

40. Thank you!
Alice Fothergill, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology
University of Vermont
Alice.Fothergill@uvm.edu