Editors’ introduction: The voices of the barefoot scholars

Abstract

This book will examine one of the worst disasters in the history of the United States. Hurricane Katrina resulted in the near-total destruction of a major US metropolitan area (Knabb, Rhome, & Brown 2005), with over 1500 deaths in New Orleans (alone) in the immediate impact period (Osofsy et al., 2009). Eighty percent of the city's area and built structures were flooded (Cigler, 2007). The disaster in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, in August 2005, will be examined through an historical perspective with the goal of clarifying how vulnerability and resilience interacted to affect the postdisaster recovery and sustainability of New Orleans and coastal Louisiana. The years after Katrina offer many lessons concerning the growing vulnerability associated with sea-level rise and climate extremes. The examination of the precursors and sequelae of Hurricane Katrina through a complex systems lens, with a strong emphasis on local knowledge and capacity, offers important lessons for urban and coastal regions. We develop the theoretical and conceptual framing for this volume, including the concept of structural violence. Finally, we provide a brief overview of the book chapters.