CSU documentary assesses Katrina’s effect on people

Rocky Mountain News

Monday, August 28, 2006

One year ago tomorrow, Hurricane Katrina roared ashore from the Gulf of Mexico and slammed into New Orleans leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

They are homeless in more than one sense — both without shelter and now missing their culture.

Two Colorado State University women ‑ one a professor, the other a researcher ‑ have received a $50,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, and a like sum from CSU's College of Liberal Arts, to study the effects that a loss of culture has on these evacuees.

Kate Browne, an expert in Afro-Creole populations and professor of anthropology, has teamed with Lori Peek, a disaster researcher in the Department of Sociology, to document their stories.

"Evacuees feel a profound sense of attachment to New Orleans: its Creole food, its music, its flair for celebration and even the way of talking were wildly different than what they have found in other areas," Browne said.

How evacuees fared from the Gulf Coast is reflected in the proximity to their former social networks.

The researchers write that many evacuees came from a culture based in French Creole roots in which celebration, regional cuisine and extended family ties are highly valued.

While not enough time has elapsed for evacuees to pull their lives together, the misconception that life for evacuees should be returning to normal only compounds their troubles.

Those able to rely on family or friends during their evacuations are likely to be faring better mentally and emotionally compared to evacuees who find themselves or their immediate families alone and isolated in new cities, Browne has been quoted as saying.

Some residents have moved back home, and many would like to, but a lack of resources and feelings of uncertainty prevent them from returning to begin rebuilding.

The team surveyed evacuees brought to Denver.

In addition, Browne has followed the story of a large family that was able to evacuate together from the bayou parishes of New Orleans and go to a family member's home in Dallas.

Following Katrina, about 13,000 Gulf Coast evacuees came to Colorado, settling at least temporarily, in every county in the state.

The research team has documented experiences of some of the Denver area evacuees to better understand the impact of relocation on the everyday lives of people and how the difficulties related to this tragedy.

Browne says evacuees to Colorado feel a sense of the massive scale of material losses, but that is just part of the problem.

"Nobody even owned a fleece jacket. The climate, literally and culturally, left most people feeling disoriented and without a sense of control over their lives. Add to all this their separation from family, and you have a continuing disaster that is nowhere near over," she said.

The CSU research group also has developed a Web site to act as an information clearinghouse for Denver evacuees.

The site at www.MileHiNewOrleans.org contains resources for life in Denver such as work opportunities as well as life back home in New Orleans, links to information on assistance and New Orleans news Web sites.

With the help of Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Virginia Martin, the team is working to tell the story of the New Orleans family that Browne interviewed for a film, "Finding a Way Back" scheduled for release in December 2006, which examines how one large bayou family was able to stay together throughout the evacuation and their return home.

Browne noted that their ability to self-evacuate together to a family member’s house in Dallas helped keep spirits high. Most of the extended family has returned, but many face long, frustrating waits for FEMA trailers and insurance settlements.