5
Resettling and Receiving Stories from Across Louisiana
The second activity during the workshop in Houma began with individual stories by panelists, followed by a roundtable discussion on what it means to resettle, what actions a community can take to move forward to a new place, and what it means to be a receiving community.
Mark VanLandingham, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Studies of Displaced Populations, Tulane University
VanLandingham discussed some best practices and lessons from the recent settlement of Vietnamese Americans along the Gulf Coast. As he watched the Vietnamese community bounce back from heavy flooding, wind damage, and long-term displacement after Hurricane Katrina, his takeaway was that the Vietnamese community—with regard to standard disaster recovery measures, compared to other communities that suffered similar amounts of flooding, damage, and displacement—did quite well. For example, even though the Vietnamese community had measurable mental and physical health declines after Katrina, they bounced back fairly quickly, compared to everyone else. They also had a higher percentage of returning residents and lower unemployment rates than other areas. Since the Vietnamese community was not positioned in any obvious way to do better than other communities, VanLandingham explained that he used this as an opportunity to investigate resilience. In addition to standard components of resilience such as financial resources, social connections, skills, and human capital, he has been investigating cultural features to help explain why they did better than other communities and what lessons can be learned.
VanLandingham said, in general terms, part of what distinguishes the Vietnamese community from many other communities is its unique history and culture. One example he provided was their displacement from South Vietnam in 1975, when they had to reestablish themselves in a new place that was different from where they came from. Another point he made was that East Asian societies, particularly the Vietnamese, as a matter of tradition, embrace hierarchy as a core feature of their view of how the world works. In contrast, many American families and communities are against hierarchy, wanting children to be independent thinkers and find their own way, which he said many Vietnamese find puzzling. VanLandingham said that this comfort with hierarchy helps to explain why, in the wake of Katrina, a plan emerged from the Vietnamese community with a dedicated spokesperson—the head priest at a major church—as they worked to recover. In contrast, he explained, it was hard for many communities throughout the rest of New Orleans to make decisions because they could not agree on a plan or even a leader. He noted that many members of these other communities focused more on individual—or their family’s—self-interest at the expense of the broader community’s wellbeing.
Cyndi Nguyen, Executive Director, Vietnamese Initiatives in Economic Training
Nguyen grew up in a rural area in Vietnam. She was five years old when her family experienced the stressful journey to the United States. When her family arrived in the United States, no one spoke English, and they had no governmental assistance. So, when her family lost their home and all their possessions during Hurricane Katrina, and when the BP Oil Spill40 negatively impacted the fishing industry, which her community relied upon, she was grateful for her parents and the Vietnamese community’s courage and commitment to work together and rebuild. She noted that Hurricane Katrina hit thirty years after the Vietnamese community migrated to the United States, so they were still adjusting to new and different systems, cultures, and languages. Every family and community experienced challenges after Katrina, but Nguyen echoed VanLandingham’s observation that part of the culture of the Vietnamese community involves taking action and moving forward as a community. She noted that the community was able to work together and quickly tackle many issues facing residents after Katrina thanks
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40 “The BP Oil Spill,” also known as the “Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill,” began when an oil rig called “Deepwater Horizon” exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana, on April 20 2010. Approximately 210 million gallons were spilled, making it the world’s largest accidental oil spill in history. More information is available at: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/deepwater-horizon-bp-gulf-mexico-oil-spill#settlement
to the leadership in the Vietnamese church and nonprofit organizations already established within the community, such as Vietnamese Initiatives in Economic Training (VIET)41 and the Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association.42 Nguyen concluded by saying that “it takes a village to raise a child, and we definitely will continue to enhance that village for everybody” through collaboration and engagement of everyone in the community.
The Vietnamese community has managed to sustain its cultural and historical knowledge and preserve traditions for future generations. Examples Nguyen mentioned were the Tet festival43 and the Vietnamese Farmers Market, from which many people benefit. To help sustain their native language, a church has started a Vietnamese language class for children. She highlighted that these efforts have not been easy, but it is something the community continues to invest in.
Beth Butler, Executive Director, A Community Voice–Louisiana
Butler explained that Houma, compared to some other communities, stood out as a welcoming community for Hurricane Katrina survivors from the New Orleans area. Butler has worked with the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans for over forty years and has seen many challenges as well as many shared values from across the different communities she has worked with. She said that before Katrina severely flooded the Lower Ninth Ward, there was a sense of collaboration within the community and a commitment to social justice. She referenced a study conducted after Hurricane Katrina that found that residents displaced from the Lower Ninth Ward who were members of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)44 were more resilient than nonmembers.45 Butler notes that findings from qualitative studies indicate the importance of social support in resilience. Members of ACORN organized and planned where they would go if they were to be displaced; discussed their problems, issues, and emotions. They also implemented a phone and texting bank to connect members to available housing.
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41 More information about VIET is available at: https://www.vietno.org/
42 More information about the Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association is available at: https://vayla-no.org/
43 More information about the Tet festival and the Vietnamese Lunar New Year is available at: https://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/VietnameseNewYear.html
44 ACORN is “a nation-wide grassroots organization whose mission is to promote the housing rights of low and moderate-income individuals and families across the USA and in several other countries.” Glandon, D.M., Muller, J., and Almedom, A.M. (2008). Resilience in post-Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana: A preliminary study. African Health Sciences, 8(Suppl 1), S21–S27.
45 Glandon, D.M., Muller, J., and Almedom, A.M. (2008). Resilience in post-Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana: A preliminary study. African Health Sciences, 8(Suppl 1), S21–S27.
After Hurricane Katrina, there was a concerted effort by the city, especially in the Lower Ninth Ward, to identify homes that were deemed unsafe. These homes were not allowed to be rebuilt, and city services such as water were denied to residents. While this caused conflict in Ninth Ward communities, residents’ commitment to each other—born of long-standing, deeply intertwined relationships and strong sense of community and culture—overcame such conflict, facilitating the recovery of the community. As Butler noted, “Though typically described as poor, the community was a rich amalgam of middle class, a few rich, and many working poor families who shared resources and support for each other and their children.”
Butler noted that some people still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health issues related to Hurricane Katrina and the loss of community. Hurricane Ida also negatively impacted New Orleans. When Ida hit, many people did not have flood insurance, and Butler went on to observe that rising insurance rates would more than likely increase the number of people who could not afford flood insurance. With hurricane frequency and intensity increasing, some want to leave, but others want to stay. Butler noted that one of the biggest issues of disaster evacuations is “the devil you know versus the devil you don’t know.” Following Hurricane Ida, a small group of people migrated to Natchez, MS, which, she noted, worked out well since Natchez is in some ways similar to where they previously lived. Since this successful move, members of A Community Voice (a non-profit community organization and affiliate of ACORN) have been discussing a “model that would set a staging area for evacuations but that would also have long-term housing and become the future for displaced communities.” She suggested that creating an alternative site, like Natchez, for people to evacuate to during future hurricanes would be relatively affordable for the government to build, in comparison with the cost of repeatedly evacuating people to temporary shelters. Such alternate sites could allow people to experience what it is like to live together in a small community away from home and reduce the fear of the unknown that accompanies disaster evacuation.
Butler also described that the town of Jackson in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, is an area currently being discussed by community members as a possible destination to retreat to, due to its “common Louisiana culture, lovely terrain, and proximity to the southern part of the state.” Yet, she emphasized, it is far enough from the coast to miss the brunt of the large hurricanes, with high enough elevations to prevent flooding. She noted the importance of considerations such as “similar land, affordable housing stock, and cultural similarities, such as being near a waterway.” She noted that there might be ongoing issues that would need to be addressed such as the stress associated with the loss of community, but that providing housing on similar land and within close proximity to family and friends may help to reduce negative experiences.
Cindy Robertson, Director, micah 6:8 mission, and Dee Knowles, Community Member
Dee Knowles, a former addict who has experienced homelessness, shared her story. Due to flooding in 2016, she lost everything and could not get governmental assistance. She was still recovering from this experience, followed by the loss of her husband in June 2021, when in September of 2021, Hurricane Ida hit Baton Rouge. At the time, she had a camper and two vehicles, which were all destroyed, and she ended up with nowhere to go. She made seven appointments with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to complete the inspection required as part of the application for funding to restore her home, but no one ever showed up. She stated also that she was unable to get approved for a hotel stay. The only thing she got was $500 after the storm first hit. Knowles said she never had an opportunity to make decisions about resettlement or relocation options. Through the assistance of Cindy Robertson (a fellow participant on the panel) and the micah 6:8 mission46 (Robertson’s faith-inspired nonprofit organization), Knowles came to Sulphur, Louisiana. Sulphur had also been devastated and many residents lost everything—however, “that very town took a complete stranger in and nursed her back to health.” She went on to explain that she is now working with micah 6:8 mission and hopes to help others.
Knowles reflected on what she considers to be the necessary components of a welcoming community: some components are financial, but she also emphasized love and kindness. One priority of a welcoming community, she noted, would be to help repair homes. The second would be, for those who are displaced or homeless, to create a place where they could get a shower, a meal, gain access to resources, and learn to start living again.
Cindy Robertson, shared that there is an extensive network of communication between homeless people in Louisiana that also assists one another. However, during Hurricane Laura (2020), many homeless people were transported to other cities. When they returned, they were dropped off at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles without any further transportation being provided and, as a result, “no way to get back to their normal neighborhood of homelessness.” Also, they could not get assistance to replace their tents, cooking materials, and other possessions “because FEMA doesn’t respond to you if you don’t have a home.” Knowles noted that in her case, thanks to individuals like Robertson and the Sulphur community, she is fortunate to no longer be one of the people who are still struggling.
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46 More information on the micah 6:8 mission is available at: https://micah68mission.org/
Sam Oliver, Executive Director, Acadiana Center for the Arts
Oliver reflected on national news stories after Hurricane Laura47 when a local government official in Lafayette, Louisiana, made a statement that was not intended as it was received. The individual was trying to communicate that Lafayette could not and should not host a major shelter due to the potential risk of hurricane damage. Still, the reported message was that Lake Charles residents were not welcome in Lafayette. Lafayette’s city government learned a lesson about the appropriate response to others dealing with a traumatic situation. Afterward, local officials in Lafayette course-corrected and began sharing available resources to help those coming to Lafayette. For example, a spreadsheet was created and updated hourly with information about hotel room availability—and a hotline was created to disseminate this information. Oliver emphasized that certain actions in response to a catastrophe might seem to be simple and limited, but it is essential to share in a positive way information about what can be done and not focus on what cannot be done and who cannot be helped. Otherwise, he said, “it is easy to have the message be received that you can’t do anything.”
Oliver expressed hopes that government agencies and decision makers, especially in potential receiving communities, will prepare for not only the slow migration that may happen over decades, but also the quick migration that occurs following a storm or a major political event, such as the evacuations form South Vietnam that Nguyen mentioned. Instead of relying exclusively on resilient communities that people have created on their own, he hopes governments and institutions can be more welcoming and willing to act to receive and help those in need, especially following major events.
PERSON-TO-PERSON EXPERIENCES AND COMMUNITY RESPONSES
The panel moderator, Shana Walton, Toups Professor of Cultural Studies, Department of English, Modern Languages, and Cultural Studies at Nicholls State University, and a member of the Louisiana Folklore Society, started the roundtable discussion by highlighting that all participants had pointed out institutional failures or gaps. She said institutional responses are sometimes easier to diagnose, because there are systematic ways to test what works. However, in addition, there are person-to-person and community responses on which she asked participants to comment. Knowles replied that the community in Sulphur found a way to connect and serve people. Robertson noted that help did not come from the government
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47 Armus, T. (2020). One Louisiana city refuses to take hurricane evacuees. Officials blame racial justice protesters. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/31/lafayette-hurricane-laura-shelter-protests/
but from local organizations such as the Open Door Biker Church,48 the Sulphur Christian Community Coalition,49 and the ROC Church.50 Nguyen’s community recognized and addressed some gaps instead of waiting for governmental assistance. She stated that preparation based on empowered citizen involvement is key, especially in an area where hurricanes cannot be avoided. She went on to say that for underserved and vulnerable communities, there has to be a plan for everyone to survive disasters and continue to be a strong community. Oliver reflected that the experiences of the community in New Orleans East probably forced them to become closer, enabling them to take collective action for future planning. He went on to say that he feels it is a very different situation for potential receiving communities since there is not an existential threat for which they are preparing. Yet, the days and hours that follow a storm or other disaster are critical, and communities like Lafayette that might potentially receive people need to “look at [themselves] and say, ‘When we are called to act actively, do we know what we’re going to say?’” Oliver also stated, “If a receiving community is not being intentional, then the resettled populations are likely to be shunted to the side, and that needs to be considered and dealt with.” Walton noted that the experience of populations and communities changing could be unsettling and disruptive to some people.
Nguyen said that her community would likely continue to receive new immigrants. Efforts have been made to embrace immigrants and provide education and services—such as helping them gain citizenship. She also talked about her efforts to support other residents on an ongoing basis. When Katrina hit, she knew navigating the FEMA process would be difficult, especially for non-English-speaking residents. So, she secured a position in community relations with FEMA in order to help people in her community. Then when the Road Home Program51 began rebuilding homes, she took on a role in the program so she could help homeowners. Nguyen believes the key is preparing people before a disaster so they can respond in a positive way.
RESETTLING IN A NEW LOCATION
Natalie Snider, a committee member, asked for data about the quality of life attained by resettled people. One study that VanLandingham has
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48 More information on the Open Door Biker Church is available at: https://www.odbcsulphur.com/
49 More information on the Sulphur Christian Community Coalition is available at: https://sulphurccc.org/
50 More information on the ROC Church is available at: https https://therocchurch.com/
51 More information on the Road Home Program is available at: https https://www.road2la.org/HAP/Default.aspx
been involved in is the Katrina@10 study.52 Many people, including himself, were focused on getting people displaced from Katrina back home to New Orleans—but what surprised him was that many people did not want to come back, especially parents of school-aged children. They found that the education was better, and crime was lower, in the new location. He emphasized that, at the same time, many people who wanted to come back did not have the wherewithal to do so.
TRANSFERABLE LESSONS FROM SHORT-TERM DISASTER DISPLACEMENTS
Regarding short-term disaster displacement, committee member Craig Colten inquired about possible intersection points and transferable lessons that might help prepare for longer-term responses, such as resettlement, to climate change and coastal land loss. Butler responded that a key component is affordable housing. VanLandingham added that he was moved by Knowles’s story about finding a group of people who, as Knowles put it, “love and care about [her]” and the importance of connecting with nongovernmental organizations in the communities to which people are displaced.
Nguyen gave an example of a lesson learned in New Orleans. Seven senior apartments in her district were not evacuated during Hurricane Ida, and subsequently were without power for days. Sadly, some of the senior citizens in those apartments died as a result of the heat. Afterward, Nguyen helped pass an ordinance requiring an evacuation plan for residents living in senior apartments. She hopes the ordinance will save lives in the future, and she went on to point out that the legislation was created with input from community members who would be impacted by it.
BUILDING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Walton asked if it is possible to build connections to become receiving communities. She noted that Sulphur was an interesting place to become a receiving community because it had its own outmigration due to envi-
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52 More information about the Katrina@10 study is available in the following references: Pendley, S.C., VanLandingham, M.J., Pham, N.N., and Do, M. (2021). Resilience within communities of forced migrants: Updates and the path forward. Journal on Migration and Human Security, 9(3), 154–164. VanLandingham, M.J. (2018). Resilience among vulnerable populations: The neglected role of culture. Creating Katrina, rebuilding resilience: Lessons from New Orleans on vulnerability and resiliency, 257–266. Oxford, United Kingdom: Butterworth-Heinemann. VanLandingham, M.J. (2015). Post-Katrina, Vietnamese success. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/opinion/sunday/post-katrina-vietnamese-success.html
ronmental issues. Robertson replied by saying that she considers the Lake Charles region an environmental “sacrifice area.”53 Looking ahead to what a receiving community might look like, Oliver said he hopes “we’re really realistic about places like Sulphur” that have endured their own trauma. What he wants to avoid is taking people who are living in low-income areas and moving them to other low-income areas that are also prone to flooding and have other issues, such as pollution.
Walton noted that after Hurricane Ida, people could not serve as community resources for their neighbors as they had in the past. Unlike Nguyen’s community in New Orleans East, which was able to take steps to help residents, many areas struggled to recover. Robertson pointed out that in efforts to unite communities, it is difficult to organize around the homeless community where people neither vote nor have addresses. With regard to relocation and resettlement, she said it is vital to consider the needs of the homeless population during disasters of any sort. Walton shared that trauma was a theme she noticed—whether it is trauma associated with homelessness, a hurricane, or being resettled. Communities, she added, can find ways to help people who have gone through these traumatic experiences.
Shared Experiences and Events
Lori Hunter (BECS) noted the role of cultural events as potential places for resettlement discussions. Walton mentioned that Lafayette made the Festival International de Louisiane54 larger and more welcoming, while Knowles noted that a program with a festival called “Taking it to the Streets” aimed at helping homeless people.55 Nguyen gave two examples of events in New Orleans East—Jingle on the Boulevard Parade56 and bringing back Mardi Gras. She also mentioned that the Lower Ninth Ward was launching their first Lower 9 Fest in 2022.
MUTUAL AID STRATEGIES
Gary LaFleur, an audience member, commented that it seems that it would be easy for cities to have a mutual aid strategy. On the other hand, cities are already dealing with their own challenges, so it is difficult for him
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53 Supra note 31.
54 More information about the Festival International de Louisiane is available at: https://www.festivalinternational.org/about-festival
55 More information about the Taking it to the Streets Festival is available at: https://www.takingittothestreets.net/
56 More information on the Jingle on the Boulevard Parade is available at: https://jingleontheboulevard.com/
to imagine a city planning strategy aimed at non-residents at some point in the future. He asked Oliver how Lafayette had shifted gears quickly to put plans in place to help non-residents. Oliver responded that it was easier to do at the local government level, but he thinks it would be more difficult at the state or federal government levels. Oliver, adapting the popular concept of “sister cities,” suggested the idea of creating “cousin cities” in closer proximity to one another that could mutually assist each other in times of need. Butler mentioned that something similar happened after Hurricane Laura in New Orleans where thousands of people from the Lake Charles area were able to stay in downtown hotels. Walton closed the panel by noting she supported the idea of “cousin cities.”
CLOSING REMARKS
Colten closed the session by highlighting several points made by the panelists:
- Space and support may be essential to sustain the cultures and traditions of communities, both in places where communities are dis-assembling as well as where they are re-assembling;
- Housing stock—for people relocating into an area, or even just seeking temporary shelter—can be helpful for those people hoping to find a place to live. There has been a short supply of housing stock in some instances;
- Basic services such as showers, shelter, and food are often crucial for disaster evacuees;
- In the wake of disasters, when communication services are disrupted and people are not necessarily in their regular place of operation, it is important for local, state, and federal agencies to provide adequate and agile responses to situations as they unfold; and
- It is helpful to disseminate clear messages and information indicating where assistance and resources are available.
