Katrina Pain Index 2012: 7 Years After, By Bill Quigley and Davida Finger

1          Rank of New Orleans in fastest growing US cities between 2010 and 2011.  Source: Census Bureau.

1          Rank of New Orleans, Louisiana in world prison rate.  Louisiana imprisons more of its people, per head, than any of the other 50 states.  Louisiana rate is five times higher than Iran, 13 times higher than China and 20 times Germany.  In Louisiana, one in 86 adults is in prison.  In New Orleans, one in 14 black men is behind bars.  In New Orleans, one of every seven black men is in prison, on parole or on probation.  Source: Times-Picayune.

2          Rank of New Orleans in rate of homelessness among US cities.  Source: 2012 Report of National Alliance to End Homelessness.

2          Rank of New Orleans in highest income inequality for cities of over 10,000   Source: Census.

3          Days a week the New Orleans daily paper, the Times-Picayune, will start publishing and delivering the paper this fall and switch to internet only on other days.  (See 44 below).  Source: The Times-Picayune.

10        Rate that New Orleans murders occur compared to US average.  According to FBI reports, the national average is 5 murders per 100,000.  The Louisiana average is 12 per 100,000.  The New Orleans reported 175 murders last year or 50 murders per 100,000 residents.  Source: WWL TV.

13        Rank of New Orleans in FBI overall crime rate rankings.  Source: Congressional Quarterly.

15        Number of police officer-involved shootings in New Orleans so far in 2012.  In all of 2011 there were 16.  Source: Independent Police Monitor.

21        Percent of all residential addresses in New Orleans that are abandoned or blighted.   There were 35,700 abandoned or blighted homes and empty lots in New Orleans (21% of all residential addresses), a reduction from 43,755 in 2010 (when it was 34% of all addresses).  Compare to Detroit (24%), Cleveland (19%), and Baltimore (14%).  Source: Greater New Orleans Community Data Center (GNOCDC).  

27        Percent of people in New Orleans live in poverty.  The national rate is 15%.  Among African American families the rate is 30% and for white families it is 8%.  Source: Corporation for Enterprise Development (CEFD) and Greater New Orleans Community Data Center (GNOCDC) Assets & Opportunity Profile: New Orleans (August 2012).

33        Percent of low income mothers in New Orleans study who were still suffering Post Traumatic Stress symptoms five years after Katrina.  Source: Princeton University Study.

34        Bus routes in New Orleans now.  There were 89 before Katrina. Source: RTA data.

37        Percent of New Orleans families that are “asset poor” or lack enough assets to survive for three months without income.  The rate is 50% for black households, 40% for Latino household, 24% for Asian household and 22% for white households.  Source: Corporation for Enterprise Development (CEFD) and Greater New Orleans Community Data Center (GNOCDC) Assets & Opportunity Profile: New Orleans (August 2012

40        Percent of poor adults in New Orleans region that work. One quarter of these people work full-time and still remain poor.  Source: GNOCDC.

42        Percent of the children in New Orleans who live in poverty. The rate for black children is 65 percent compared to less than 1 percent for whites.  Source: Census.

44        Rank of Louisiana among the 50 states in broadband internet access.  New Orleans has 40 to 60 percent access.  Source: The Lens.

60        Percent of New Orleans which is African American.  Before Katrina the number was 67.  Source: GNOCDC.

60        Percent of renters in New Orleans are paying more than 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities, up from 51 percent in 2004.  Source: GNOCDC.

68        Percent of public school children in New Orleans who attend schools that pass state standards.  In 2003-2004 it was 28 percent.  Source: GNOCDC.

75        Percent of public school students in New Orleans who are enrolled in charter schools.  Source: Wall Street Journal.    This is the highest percentage in the US by far, with District of Columbia coming in second at 39 percent.  Sources: Wall Street Journal and National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

76        Number of homes rebuilt by Make It Right Foundation.  Source: New York Times.

123,934           Fewer people in New Orleans now than in 2000.  The Census reported the 2011 population of New Orleans source as 360,740.  The 2000 population was 484,674.  Source: Census.

Bill and Davida teach at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.  A version of this article with complete sources is available.  The authors give special thanks to Allison Plyer of the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center.  You can reach Bill at quigley77@gmail.com.

Greater New Orleans Community Data Center to Host Forum on Lessons From Katrina

From our Friends at Greater New Orleans Community Data Center:
The 2005 storms that devastated the Gulf region will long be studied by policy analysts, historians, and social commentators for their size and impact. Since 2005, the world has witnessed new devastation with earthquakes in Haiti and China, floods in Pakistan, and the tsunami that wiped out huge portions of Japan and its landscape, with an overwhelming loss of life. Closer to home, tornados obliterated much of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Joplin, Missouri. Leaders worldwide continue to turn to the Gulf Coast in search of lessons learned.

A new book, Resilience and Opportunity: Lessons from the U.S. Gulf Coast after Katrina and Rita, from Brookings Institution Press, featuring many New Orleans researchers, documents the unprecedented civic revival that has breathed energy and accountability into reforms and has the potential to make the region more resilient to future catastrophes. It also assesses the state of current reforms in education and land use planning, as well as lesser publicized reforms such as in evacuation planning and criminal justice.

On August 29th, the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center and University of New Orleans will host a forum to introduce this edited volume from the Brookings Institution Press and discuss its implications.

This forum will recognize those achievements perhaps overlooked, examine where we are today according to the numbers with a briefing on the New Orleans Index at Six, and honestly assess the business undone and what New Orleanians, its leaders, and many partners must do to make greater New Orleans a model of growth and resilience.

Copies of the book will be available on site for purchase at a discount.

Resilience and Opportunity:
Lessons from the U.S. Gulf Coast after Katrina and Rita
Monday, August 29, 2011, 1:00 pm - 5:30 pm
University of New Orleans
Homer L. Hitt Alumni Center – Geoghegan Grand Ballroom
New Orleans, LA
Attendance is free and open to the public. However, space is limited and pre-registration is required. Please RSVP at this link.

Schedule:
Welcome
Susan Krantz
Dean of the College of Liberal Arts
University of New Orleans

Introduction
Amy Liu
Senior Fellow and Co- Director of Metropolitan Policy Program
The Brookings Institution

New Orleans Index at Six
Allison Plyer
Deputy Director
Greater New Orleans Community Data Center

Panel Discussion: State and Future of Policy Reforms
Moderator: Andre Perry
Loyola University

John Renne
University of New Orleans

Karen DeSalvo
Tulane University
City of New Orleans

Luceia LeDoux
Baptist Community Ministries

Mark Davis
Tulane University

Panel Discussion: State and Future of Civil Society and Community Engagement
Moderator: Roland Anglin
Rutgers University

Richard Mizelle
Florida State University

Linetta Gilbert
Ford Foundation
The Declaration Initiative

Silas Lee
Xavier University

Reilly Morse
Mississippi Center for Justice

Rich McCline
Southern University at Baton Rouge

Want less blight? Create more jobs!

This post comes from our friends at The Greater New Orleans Community Data Center:
Blight is a big issue in New Orleans. And we all understand that to sustainably address blight, we need more population to fill and maintain buildings.

But how do we grow our population? Well, the short answer is...create more jobs.

The metro area population grows and shrinks in parallel with jobs. Improving schools and city services can help the city compete with the suburbs for residents. But equally important is growing the number of jobs regionally so we can grow the regional population. And those jobs need to be good paying jobs so residents can afford to maintain our beautiful historic homes.

Unfortunately the New Orleans metro lost 16 percent of all jobs and 11 percent of total population over the last decade. Many people think that the New Orleans area failed to regain its pre-Katrina population, because it failed to rebuild all of its pre-Katrina housing. In fact it was the destruction to jobs that kept our population from fully rebounding.

To find out more about how job and population loss has contributed to increased blight...and what can be done about it, check out Fewer jobs means fewer people and more vacant housing.

While you’re enjoying Jazz Fest this year, try your hand at convincing out-of-town friends to move their families *and* their businesses to New Orleans!

Sincerely,

The GNOCDC.org Team

Allison Plyer, Elaine Ortiz, Melissa Schigoda, Ben Horwitz, Susan Sellers, and Charlotte Cunliffe