Hurricane chasers in New Orleans: Latino immigrants as a source of a rapid response labor force

Little is known about the Latino workers who came to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to clean up and repair the city. The author uses data from surveys collected at the visits of the Brazilian, Mexican, and Nicaraguan consulates (N = 253) to study the internally mobile immigrants who arrived after Katrina and who anticipate leaving New Orleans within 2 years of the survey, or what the author calls a rapid response labor force. Four hypotheses are examined: (1) that there is no difference between national origin groups in their propensity to be a member of the rapid response labor force; (2) that members are newer immigrants who have few ties to immigrants already in the United States; (3) that members are pioneers (unaccompanied working age men with weak residential ties); and (4) that members use a mobility strategy to obtain higher wages. I find that Brazilians and Mexicans are more likely than Nicaraguans to be rapid responders. Rapid responders have low levels of U.S. migratory experience, little or no English language ability, and few social network ties compared to those who are not internally mobile. These rapid responders use an internal mobility strategy to obtain higher wages and overcome their labor market disadvantages. Keywords: Latinos; Mexicans; Brazilians; Nicaraguans; New Orleans; immigrants; Hurricane Katrina