The Katrina Project began in 2005 in response to the devastating impacts of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast. The research team has assembled and has begun to analyze a wide range of information about Katrina – damage reports, interviews with neighborhood residents, studies of community organizations and planning efforts, and data on rebuilding. The Katrina Project now also includes a broader study of the impacts of hurricanes on the Gulf Coast since 1950. Who has been at risk from hurricane wind damage and storm surge? What areas have been hit – once or repeatedly? What has been the effect on population and economic change?

The Project is a work in progress. We intend through this webpage to share as much as possible about what data are available, what we have learned, and what we have concluded. Use the links above to connect directly with the Katrina and larger Gulf Coast portions of our research. There is also a link to our published reports and to a system of web-based maps that organize and display much of our data.

 

Research team

The Katrina Project is directed by John Logan, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences (S4) initiative at Brown University. Many scholars have contributed. Click here to see information about the full team.

Funding

Initial funding through 2009 came from an NSF Small Grant for Exploratory Research (Katrina and the Built Environment: Spatial and Social Impacts, NSF 0555025) and NSF's Human and Social Dynamics program (Disaster, Resilience and the Built Environment on the Gulf Coast, NSF 0624088). Further support through 2014 was provided by NICHD (Passing Storms? Resilience and Vulnerability on the Gulf Coast, 1 R01 HD056323).