With the fourth anniversary now past, I thought I would highlight a few recent works which provide some interesting angles on Hurricane Katrina:

The first, of course, is Dave Eggers’ Zeitoun, which has received a lot of press over the past few weeks.  A fictionalized account of a Syrian-American man working to help his fellow New Orleanians in the days after the hurricane, Eggers’ work is more than just an exposé on the horrors of disaster.  Rather, it highlights the Bush-era political climate and the intersections between local and federal, personal and state.  Fictionalizing national trauma is always tricky, but Eggers pulls it off with depth and substance, allowing the reader to gain new insight into the disaster four years later.

The second, Rebecca Solnit’s A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster, I admit I have yet to read.  However, I was intrigued by the review in last week’s NY Times.  While not exclusively about Hurricane Katrina, Solnit explores the “utopia”-like qualities that develop in communities touched by extreme trauma and disaster (for example, tendencies toward altruism).  She debunks certain theories about human reaction to emergencies (such as instant panic), and examines myths about government organized response.  Given its recent nature, Katrina is a major focus, along with 9/11 as well as more historical tragedies.  The revelations seem quite intriguing.

As usual, the media coverage concerning the 4th anniversary of Katrina is decidedly varied.  While some news outlets chose simply to revisit the disaster in extraordinary detail (see The New York Times Magazine‘s lengthy investigation of medical ethics during Katrina), others used the occasion as a platform for political statements urging the Obama Administration to follow through on effective disaster preparations and other reform efforts.  Still more commented on the relative “success” or “failure” of the recovery efforts thus far, though results differed significantly between articles.

The diversity in media point of view, in my opinion, echoes the questions faced by educators wishing to incorporate Hurricane Katrina into their curriculum. Are the lessons learned from the disaster evident simply in the retelling of its facts? When and how can we measure the success of recovery? How do we continue to discuss Katrina in a way that’s immediately relevant? What’s changed and what needs to be amended? What has happened over the past year that affects the way we absorb, study, and perceive this tragedy?

In terms of recent developments, I wonder whether there is an important connection between the way we respond to Katrina and the way we respond to our current Great Recession and its many corresponding crises (be they financial, housing, health care etc).  While the two are clearly disasters of a different nature, both illuminate socioeconomic divides and raise questions of government responsibility.  Is there a valuable way of connecting these issues so that students consider the implications of Katrina (and relate to its extremes) while also reflecting on the nuanced and difficult problems that may directly affect their immediate futures?

A selection of links to media coverage focusing on the 4th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina:

New Orleans Times-Picayune: “Many Still in Exile Know What it Really Means to Miss New Orleans,” “There are Many Ways to Remember Katrina” “N.O. Area on Firmer Footing as Nation Falters in Past Year,” “We’re Counting on You, Mr. President,” “Katrina’s Dead Guide Planning for Future”

NY Times: “In New Orleans, Recovery is Not Enough,” “Obama Vows to Speed Hurricane Katrina Recovery Effort,” “The State of New Orleans: An Update” (Op-ed)

NY Times Magazine: “Strained by Katrina, A Hospital Faced Deadly Choices”

NY Daily News: “Four Years After Katrina, New Orleans Still Needs Us”

NPR: “New Orleans: A Day’s Work Doesn’t Mean A Day’s Pay,   “The Gulf Coast’s Recovery: Uneven and Uneasy,” “Derelict Buildings House Thousands in New Orleans”

Philadelphia Inquirer: “Vital Protection in a Storm,” “Lower Ninth Ward Struggles 4 Years Later”

Time Magazine: “Four Years Later, New Orleans’ Green Makeover”

Washington Post: “On Katrina Anniversary, Obama Pledges to End “Turf Wars” That Slow Recovery”

ABC News: “Scars of Katrina Run Deep in New Orleans”

Wall Street Journal: “Grass Roots Put New Orleans Back on Its Feet”

Huffington Post (John McQuaid): “Still Fiddling While New Orleans Drowns”

Huffington Post (Marian Wright Edelman): “Katrina’s Children–Still Struggling”

Christian Science Monitor: “Four Years After Katrina, Who Will Lead New Orleans?”