Abstract
Hurricanes are associated with environmental destruction and traumatic stress for directly affected communities. In this chapter, we compare and contrast younger and older commercial fishers from two south Louisiana coastal parishes (counties) who experienced profound losses in the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Content analysis of narrative data based on open-ended interview questions yielded three core themes: (1) Materialism and True Colors Revealed: Despicable Deeds and Acts of Grace after the Storm, (2) Helping Efforts Across Denominations: God was Using his People to help His [Other] People, and (3) Historical Ties that Bind: Old Roots and New Connections. Themes 1 and 2 capture similar responses across age groups. Younger and older fishers alike reported material losses and shifts in outlook and priorities after the storms, along with an outpouring of support from volunteers associated with faith-based disaster relief efforts. Theme 3 reflects pronounced points of difference between the age groups. For younger fishers, salient trends were new friendships with displacement hosts and social opportunities in non-coastal communities to which they had evacuated. By contrast, salient trends for older fishers conveyed perennial environmental concerns, including coastal erosion and land loss. Ties to family and their coastal homeland were well represented in both age groups’ narratives. Implications of the present findings for understanding age and cultural identity influences on post-disaster resilience are considered.
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Notes
- 1.
When floods strike, a top priority in home cleanup is to remove soaked sheetrock and insulation to prevent the base of the lumber framing from rot. This urgent removal is referred to as “gutting.” If gutting is done soon after the flooding, it can prevent rot from destroying the structural integrity of the home. If gutting is delayed and rot commences, the entire home must be razed. During hurricane aftermath, some church groups like the one referenced here go out in clean-up parties to do this urgently needed work without compensation.
- 2.
The authors have published several previous articles or chapters containing largely or partly Catholic samples that present the faith from a constructive perspective, based on participants’ reports. Indeed, one such article has focused solely on the strengths of Roman Catholic families (Batson & Marks, 2008).
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to George Barisich, President of the United Commercial Fishermen’s Association, for his help with recruitment and Frank Campo of Campo’s Marina in Yscloskey (southeastern St. Bernard) for providing space for interviews. We thank Pam Forest Nezat, Ashley Cacamo, Annie Crapanzano, and Benjamin Staab for assistance with data collection; Trevor Johnson, Savannah Ballard, Kyle Ryker, Priscilla Lebleu, Rachel Anderson, Katie Giordano, Mallori Seeger, and Caston Montgomery for help with qualitative analyses; and Sr. Mary Keefe, Robert Campo, Lauren Denley, Huey Gonzales, Charlie Robin, John Tesvich, and Eva Vujnovich for their contributions to the research effort.
This research was supported by grants from the Louisiana Board of Regents and the BP Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, Office of Research and Economic Development, Louisiana State University. This support is gratefully acknowledged. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Katie E. Cherry, Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-5501 (e-mail: pskatie@lsu.edu).
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Cherry, K., Marks, L., Adamek, R., Lyon, B. (2015). Younger and Older Coastal Fishers Face Catastrophic Loss after Hurricane Katrina. In: Cherry, K. (eds) Traumatic Stress and Long-Term Recovery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18866-9_18
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