Library experiences of Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans flood survivors

Abstract

Abstract More than one million residents were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans Flood. Uprooted from their lives and dispersed across the country, survivors found themselves hundreds of miles away from home. Some found comfort and much needed information in public libraries. This article discusses the library experiences of survivors as revealed through an online survey and in-depth interviews. The study, conducted from August to October of 2006, found that nearly one-half of survey respondents and 40% of interviewees used libraries following the disasters. The reasons for their visits included Internet access, information and technology assistance, mental escape, and refuge. Participants also discussed how the destruction of libraries added to their sense of loss and how the restoration of libraries gave them a sense of hope. Keywords: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans Flood, Evacuees, Public Libraries, Information Needs, Disasters, Disaster Communication Introduction Hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans Flood1 destroyed more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses, and scattered over a million people throughout the United States (CNN, 2005; Louisiana Recovery Authority, 2006a). Evacuees who thought they would be home within a matter of days instead found themselves in shelters and hotel rooms for months. A year after Hurricane Katrina and the Flood, fifty percent of residents still had not returned home (Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, 2008). These disasters caused the most massive and prolonged displacement of American citizens in recent memory (Nigg, Barnshaw, & Torres, 2006). For the people living through these catastrophic events, accessing information and communicating with others became difficult. Survivors often could not contact family, friends, neighbors, or employers (LRA, 2006b). Desperate to reach loved ones and find vital information about the status of their hometowns, many people visited the one place that is open to everyone, offers free services, and exists in almost all communities-the public library. This article reports the library use and library experiences of survivors following the Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans Flood (the Flood) disasters as discovered by a study in 2006 comprised of an online survey and in-depth interviews. The study finds that libraries played important roles in assisting survivors find and access information, and in helping to provide a refuge and an escape. The article advocates for librarians to take an active interest in discovering ways to assist in disaster situations. It also suggests that libraries should be considered a vital source to citizens and the disaster planning community before, during, and after natural and man-made disasters. Several key points regarding how librarians can help disaster survivors are provided. Literature Review At the time of this study the library literature contained numerous articles which focused on how librarians provided services during and after Hurricane Katrina and the Flood. Fletcher (2006) discussed how medical librarians quickly organized, sent requests for donations, selected materials, and delivered them to doctors working at shelters in the Baton Rouge area. She found that resources for use in shelter clinics should be print based and portable, brief, prescriptive, and of course current. Librarians in Louisiana and surrounding states reported how they issued library cards, assisted with completion of disaster relief forms, gave referrals to government agencies, and provided books and local information to evacuees (Albanese, Blumenstein, Oder, & Rogers, 2005). Dickerson (2007) discussed how he, as director of the Jefferson Parish Library (JPL), reorganized the library, removed barriers to access, and served thousands of residents from neighboring parishes. In the months following Katrina, JPL distributed more than 3,600 library cards and co-sponsored programming sessions such as chainsaw and mold safety, and medical and psychological awareness. …