Displacement Dynamics in Southern Louisiana After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

We describe displacement dynamics in Louisiana approximately 1 year after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Policy-makers and service-providers require a more detailed understanding of displacement in order to provide for geographically dispersed populations. Census estimates of net change are often insufficient because they fail to capture the broad range of movement of people. Therefore, we draw upon original data to more fully describe patterns of movement across and within parish lines in southern Louisiana. The 2006 Louisiana Health and Population Survey (LHPS) was commissioned by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Louisiana Recovery Authority to provide information on population dispersion and related health characteristics in and around hurricane-affected regions. Our paper utilizes this unique dataset to describe three distinct dimensions of displacement dynamics: in-migration, out-migration, and intra-parish movement. These displacement dynamics add important correctives to the broader net effects commonly cited in media reports of population changes, which vastly understate the extent of displacement in the region.