NEW ORLEANS – Today, in advance of the 10th anniversary of Katrina, The Data Center released The New Orleans Index at Ten: Measuring Greater New Orleans’ Progress toward Prosperity.
When Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures devastated metro New Orleans, many pointed out that this would be just the first of many large scale catastrophes the world would witness, as population centers grew larger, sea levels rose, and weather events became more extreme.
The Data Center researchers say this awful prediction has come true with earthquakes, hurricanes, and extensive flooding causing billions of dollars of damage and hundreds of thousands of deaths around the globe since 2005.
With the prevalence of large-scale disasters increasing, they say it is clear that communities must begin building the capacities needed to withstand any shock. New Orleanians know this better than most, having experienced Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Isaac, the Great Recession, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, all in the span of ten years.
The Data Center’s New Orleans Index at Ten examines more than 30 indicators to assess how well metro New Orleans has bounced back from Katrina and also whether the region is developing the abilities to be resilient in the face of a future shock.
The Data Center reps say the indicators suggest that the New Orleans economy is rebounding and in some ways better than before, and that New Orleanians have worked hard to not only rebuild, but to transform and better their institutions since Katrina. But, they found, far too many are not participating in the region’s growing prosperity, and coastal erosion remains a growing threat.
The Data Center’s latest report finds New Orleanians must simultaneously restore their coast while growing prosperity that benefits broader segments of the population.
