On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near New Orleans leaving death and destruction across the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama Gulf Coast counties. Racial disparities exist in disaster response. This book asks why some communities get left behind economically, spatially, and physically before and after disasters strike.

* Foreword, Mark H. Morial, president of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans * Introduction, Robert D. Bullard and Beverly Wright PART I CHALLENGES OF RACIALIZED PLACE * 1 Race, Place, and the Environment in Post-Katrina New Orleans, Robert D. Bullard and Beverly Wright * 2 The Overlooked Significance of Place in Law and Policy: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina, Debra Lyn Bassett * 3 Transportation Matters: Stranded on the Side of the Road Before and After Disasters Strike, Robert D. Bullard, Glenn S. Johnson, and Angel O. Torres * 4 Katrina and the Condition of Black New Orleans: The Struggle for Justice, Equity, and Democracy, Mtangulizi Sanyika PART II HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT POST-KATRINA * 5 Contaminants in the Air and Soil in New Orleans After the Flood: Opportunities and Limitations for Community Empowerment, Rachel Godsil, Albert Huang, and Gina Solomon * 6 Investing in Human Capital and Healthy Rebuilding in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Sheila J. Webb * 7 Making the Case for Community-Based Laboratories: A New Strategy for Environmental Justice, Earthea Nance PART III EQUITABLE REBUILDING AND RECOVERY * 8 Post-Katrina Profiteering: The New Big Easy, Rita J. King * 9 Rebuilding Lives Post-Katrina: Choices and Challenges in New Orleans Economic Development, Robert K. Whelan and Denise Strong * 10 The Color of Opportunity and the Future of New Orleans: Planning, Rebuilding, and Social Inclusion After Hurricane Katrina, Mafruza Khan * 11 Housing Recovery in the Ninth Ward: Disparities in Policy, Process, and Prospects, Lisa K. Bates and Rebekah A. Green PART IV POLICY CHOICES FOR SOCIAL CHANGE * 12 Unnatural Disaster: Social Impacts and Policy Choices After Katrina, John R. Logan * Afterword: Looking Back to Move Forward, Beverly Wright and Robert D. Bullard