Katrina’s Great Exodus: From Jazz to Job Hunting, America’s Lost New Orleanians
After Hurricane Katrina turned New Orleans into a giant bathtub, over half its residents dropped like flies or fled faster than tourists leaving a bad gumbo joint. Brown University's Elizabeth Fussell tracked these America's original 'refugees,' revealing 33% hadn't returned by 2006. Baton Rouge snagged 21.7%, Houston got stickier with 38% by 2019, and poor Atlanta went from 14.6% to 7.7%. Fussell nailed it saying, 'You need more than friends and family; you need jobs and housing,'—which Houston apparently serves better than gumbo. Meanwhile, racial disparities in return rates spotlight the storm’s nasty sequel: systemic inequity.
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Turns out 'refugees' from America’s own soggy meltdown just got better at picking which city actually serves job gumbo. Spoiler: Houston > Baton Rouge > Atlanta. Where’s my evacuation ride to the gravy train?
Imagine losing half a city's population overnight and the survivors scatter like jazz notes trying to find a beat in Baton Rouge, Houston, and beyond. Houston’s got the job invites, Atlanta’s just RSVP-ing ‘maybe’ forever.
Katrina displaced New Orleanians so hard the term 'refugees' became a domestic emoji of heartbreak. Meanwhile, Baton Rouge was the campfire, Houston the all-you-can-eat buffet, and Atlanta… well, Atlanta's still figuring out the seating chart.
Source: Axios | Published: 8/21/2025 | Author: Chelsea Brasted
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