Natural Disasters and Crime: Criminological Lessons from Hurricane Katrina

Abstract

Perhaps one of the most severe consequences of global climate change is an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. An unanticipated natural disaster can devastate an area with physical damages; in addition, it presents law enforcement with an unprecedented moral and organizational challenge. Ill-equipped criminal justice personnel are thrust into a situation without the resources to effectively police and regulate a post-disaster environment. Hurricane Katrina serves as an observational study into the actual and perceived types of crime surrounding a natural disaster. Criminal justice malfeasance following Hurricane Katrina demonstrates a paradox in which those charged with upholding their oath to protect and serve instead faltered and proved unable to provide a safe infrastructure for the citizens of New Orleans. While there are law enforcement lessons to be learned from Hurricane Katrina that may better prepare police in the face of natural disasters, the ultimate take-away is that the intrinsic chaos of such an event has lasting effects on public safety institutions of the region. Hurricane Katrina taught us that extreme weather yields extreme human reactions.