Facing the Storm: An Oral History of Elderly Survivors of Katrina

This paper is drawn from oral history interviews from elderly residents who survived the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005. The aged faced similar challenges as their younger counterparts in the evacuation, aftermath, and rebuilding phases of the storm; however, their responses are limited by a number of factors that make the impact on their lives more intense. The majority of storm casualties in New Orleans were elderly. Those elderly who did survive the flooding experienced life-threatening physical and emotional stress. Life-altering changes, such as relocation from familiar neighborhoods to nursing homes in unfamiliar cities or a dependent life with family members, have often meant a loss of independence, a loss of community, and a loss of their sense of history. As natural storytellers, many elderly New Orleanians have important accounts to relate and oral history offers a method to preserve their narratives.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Year

2008

Author dc:creator

• Guillory, Eileen

Contributors dc:contributor

• Atkinson, Connie
• Mitchell, Mary N.
• Mizell-Nelson, Michael

• Hurricane Katrina
• elderly
• oral history
• survivors

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/677

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.uno.edu:td-1677