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The flooding of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina on 29 August 2005 uncovered critical issues in local, state, and national strategies for emergency preparedness and disaster relief. The Katrina disaster reveals the persistent racial inequality and economic disparities in American society. This paper examines the pre-Katrina socio-spatial configuration of the African-American and Vietnamese-American communities in an eastern New Orleans suburb. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to collect data and compare the two groups, our study reveals media are the first and foremost information sources for both groups. Many Katrina victims evacuated more than once, some not with their families during their first and subsequent relocations. However, the communities mobilized to provide intra- and inter-group self-help among families and relatives, friends and neighbors, while receiving assistance from community organizations, religious institutions, and the government. Compared to African Americans, there were higher percentages of Vietnamese Americans learning about Katrina's impending landfall from government sources, evacuating before Katrina's landfall, and being more satisfied with assistance provided by the government. Those who are lacking in English skills reported more difficulties compared to their co-ethnics. These findings lead to several policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on the recovery of the Vietnamese American community in New Orleans, Louisiana following destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. The authors suggest Vietnamese Americans have succeeded in recovering due to cultural memory. Many Vietnamese were relocated to New Orleans following the Vietnam War and became homeowners. A majority of Vietnamese American residents of New Orleans returned following Katrina and protested the creation of the Chef Menteur landfill near the Village de L'Est region of the city. The authors suggest that the success of Vietnamese Americans in New Orleans was used to unfairly judge the efforts of African Americans. They discuss the role of the Catholic church in rebuilding the Vietnamese community in New Orleans.