The Politics of Disaster Hurricane Katrina was a national
disaster that was played out on an international stage. In this
age of instant and graphic communication where there is an
increasingly thin line between news and entertainment, the whole
world watched while the hurricane bore down on New Orleans and
the Gulf Coast. The world watched with sick fascination as
pictures of death and devastation flashed across their
television screens. Untold millions watched as the New Orleans
levies let go, inundating the city with water. And the world saw
the response which was both impressive in its speed and
frustrating in its disorganization. In The Politics of Disaster,
Marvin Olasky, professor of journalism at the University of
Texas and editor-in-chief of World magazine, takes a look back
at this disaster and looks forward to the inevitable “Katrinas”
of the future. “This book examines incidents, some partially
preventable, that have a major negative impact on the ability of
an entire community to live peaceably.”