Katrina and vulnerability: the geography of stress.
The immediate aftermath of Katrina focused the world's attention on the vulnerability of the urban poor and racial/ethnic minority groups in New Orleans. This vulnerability can be viewed in terms of site, the proximity of a neighborhood to a hazard, and situation, the social context of that neighborhood. Vulnerabilities, associated with demographic characteristics such as being poor, being a member of a racial/ethnic minority group, and being female, will strengthen the force of a disaster. This paper uses a site and situation approach to show how maps of the five main sources of disaster-related stress in New Orleans can be used to predict where counseling resources should be targeted.
Curtis
Andrew
A
Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA. acurti1@lsu.edu
Mills
Jacqueline Warren
JW
Leitner
Michael
M
D004190:Disasters; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008145:Louisiana / Q000453:epidemiology; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D044469:Racial Groups; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*