Examining the Health and Wellbeing of Returnees Versus Out-Migrants from New Orleans Post-Katrina: Findings from the Displaced New Orleans Residents Qualitative Study

Background: In 2005 Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, temporarily displacing 1.5 million people. Of those who remain permanently displaced, approximately 140,000 were New Orleanians who did not return to the city (Grier, 2005; Plyer, 2011). There is a dearth of in-depth qualitative inquiries regarding the medium-term social and health impacts of a post-Katrina existence for New Orleanians.

Methods: The Displaced New Orleans Residents Qualitative Study (DNORQS) was conducted in 2010, using a subsample from the Displaced New Orleans Residents Study (Rand Corporation). DNORQS included 50 in-depth interviews on the current health, quality of life, and future plans of people who lived in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck. Participants were stratified by whether or not they returned to New Orleans, level of damage to their home, and socioeconomic status.

Results: Participants continue to experience the lingering impacts of Hurricane Katrina whether they returned or permanently out-migrated. Common themes were found in how respondents defined quality of life with greater emphasis on social networks over material wellbeing. Non-returnees demonstrated high levels of social isolation and mental health problems. Perceptions of violent crime, lack of access to healthcare and poor leadership were consistent deterrents for many respondents in returning to New Orleans.

Conclusions: Disasters are transformative experiences for individuals, as well as for affected communities. Qualitative data on mid-term recovery have the potential to enrich our understanding of how social factors and post-disaster circumstances condition recovery after a major catastrophe, and may help inform disaster management policy.