ByGeorge!

October 2006

GW Professors Examine Legacy of Hurricane Katrina in New Book

The role of race and class in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and its implications for cities nationwide is the topic of a recently published book compiled by two GW professors.

Through more than two dozen articles from leading scholars and activists, There is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster: Race, Class, and Hurricane Katrina examines the social impact of the hurricane on key populations, including racial minorities, the low-income community, and the elderly. It also examines the response of public and private institutions and offers guidance for future efforts to rebuild communities ravaged by natural disasters.

The book is co-edited by Gregory D. Squires, professor of sociology and chair of the GW Department of Sociology, and Chester Hartman, director of research at the Poverty & Race Research Action Council and adjunct GW professor of sociology.

“Hurricane Katrina will go down on record as one of the worst disasters in American history, primarily due to social and political forces, not natural causes,” says Squires, whose research focuses on how race and class shape the development of metropolitan areas, particularly the role of housing and related financial services.
“It was not by accident that the poorest and blackest neighborhoods were the ones buried under water. What happened in New Orleans can tell us a great deal about the state of urban and regional planning in contemporary America.”

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