Hurricane Katrina, which rocked the Gulf Coast of the USA in 2005, was one of the costliest natural disasters and one of the deadliest hurricanes in American history. At least 1,833 people lost their lives in the hurricane and subsequent flooding. 

The most significant number of deaths occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana, after the levee system of flood defences failed. Around 80% of the city became flooded, with waters taking many weeks to lower.

Interestingly, many residents of New Orleans consciously decided to remain in the city, hoping to ‘ride out the storm.’ New research by Anja Nadine Klopfer, from the Amerika-Institut at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, has explored the narrative of ‘choosing to stay.’

In the immediate aftermath of Katrina, government officials were quick to blame residents of New Orleans for the death toll. Casualties were attributed to people not obeying evacuation orders. “In other words, the deadly impact of the flooding was explained by the outright disobedience of New Orleans citizens, by their negligence, and by their inability to make “correct” decisions,” Klopfer explains.

Perversely, the victims of Katrina were being blamed for their own suffering. 

In examining attitudes towards people who chose to stay in New Orleans despite the danger of Katrina, Klopfer has reached an interesting conclusion. She argues that choosing to stay was a conscious decision based on local identity stemming from the Civil War-era. ...