Migration to the Gulf Coast and Hurricane Katrina–Its No Longer Just Black and White
The Migration information Source has a nice story on the history of migration to the three Gulf Coast states devastated by Hurrucan katrina. It makes for interesting reading. here’s the beginning.
This article documents the history of migration to the three Gulf Coast states affected by the hurricane. We first describe patterns and shifts in the national origins of the foreign born as well as the relative size and growth of these populations, and then speculate about immediate and long-term effects of the hurricane on immigration to these areas in the 21st century.
For the rest, see http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=368
KJ
The Changing Face of the Gulf Coast: Immigration to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama
By Katharine Donato and Shirin Hakimzadeh
Rice University January 1, 2006
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina hammered the coastal regions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, becoming the most destructive and expensive natural disaster in US history. The official death toll currently exceeds 1,300, though thousands are still missing, and the damage is estimated at $200 billion, topping the destruction caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
While the immediate aftermath focused on the inadequacies of the relief efforts, a rising death toll, and the more than one million persons displaced by the storm (including legal and illegal immigrants), concern has now shifted to reconstruction in these areas. In fact, very soon after the hurricane, newspapers reported that Spanish-speaking, foreign-born laborers were arriving in large numbers, many lured by the promise of better earnings in the construction industry, which was temporarily protected from sanctions if found to employ unauthorized workers.
What few people recognize is that the post-Katrina migration of Mexican and other Latin American migrants to the southern Gulf States signals the continuation of a new chapter of immigration, one that began in the early 1990s. In addition, these immigrants were among the victims who lost homes, possessions, and jobs.