Days after the devastating storm swept through the Gulf region, the research office called for faculty proposals focused on aspects of Katrina’s destruction that warranted immediate attention.

“As a natural ‘laboratory,’ Hurricane Katrina affords an opportunity to examine all aspects of coastal resiliency, including the immediate and delayed long-term impacts on both natural ecosystems and human communities,” said Harris Pastides, vice president for research and health sciences. “This is a unique opportunity to investigate this phenomenon and capture perishable data to understand all aspects of coastal resiliency ranging from natural processes and ecosystem characteristics to inevitable societal changes that will occur with the relocation of residents and rebuilding of communities.”

Faculty will submit final reports on their projects to the Office of Research and Health Sciences. Those will be compiled into a comprehensive report to describe the University’s research response to Hurricane Katrina.

Following are brief descriptions of the faculty projects funded by USC:

• Susan Cutter, geography, “Predicted vs. Observed Social Vulnerability of Coastal Residents: Hurricane Katrina Impacts in Mississippi and Alabama, $25,000
  
• Keith Elder, health services and policy management, “Disparities in Evacuation Response: Identifying the Factors Affecting Minorities’ Response to Evacuation Requests,” $25,000
  
• Madilyn Fletcher, Baruch Institute, “Hurricane Katrina Impacts and Responses in a Pristine Coastal Salt Marsh Estuary,” $24,815
  
• John Kupfer, geography, “Effects of Hurricane Katrina on Southern Mississippi Coastal Forests and Projected Post-Hurricane Responses: A Multi-scale Evaluation,” $25,000
  
• Elaine Lacy, public health, “Latinos in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: An Examination of Resiliency and Incorporation,” $25,000
  
• Sarah Laditka, health services policy and management, “Protecting Our Most Vulnerable Citizens: Lessons Learned from Katrina to Improve Readiness in Nursing Homes,” $25,000
  
• Patricia Motes, Institute for Families in Society, “The Role of the African American Church in Promoting Post-Catastrophe Resilience,” $24,002
  
• James Pinckney, biological sciences, “Untreated urban effluent effects on phytoplankton community structure and function in Lake Pontchartrain, La.,” $23,096.00
  
• Susanna Priest, mass communications and information studies, “Communication Patterns and Knowledge Gaps Among Evacuees in Baton Rouge Before and After Hurricane Katrina,” $24,980
  
• Joseph Quattro, Baruch Institute, “Assessing Regional Impacts at the Population-Genetic Level in Estuarine Animals Impacted by Hurricane Katrina,” $24,838
  
• David Simmons, African American Studies, “Health, History, and Healing Among a Displaced People: Short-Term and Long-Term Impacts in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina,” $25,000
  
• Michael Smith, criminology and criminal justice, “An Assessment of the Law Enforcement Response to Hurricane Katrina,” $7,792
  
• George Voulgaris, geological sciences, “Understanding and predicting resiliency of barrier islands: The extreme case condition for SC beaches,” $24,539
  
• Douglas Wyatt, arts and sciences, Aiken, “Evaluation of the Natural Recovery and Attenuation Potential of Near Surface Soils Contaminated by Volatile Organics and Heavy Metals During Flooding and Prolonged Inundation Using Soil Air Methodology,” $25,000
  
• John McNutt, social work, “The Non-profit On-Line Response to Katrina: an Initial Assessment,” $8,850
  
• Hanif Chaudhry, civil and environmental engineering, “Data on Levee Breaches and Closure Procedures,” $25,000
  
• Ivo Foppa, epidemiology and biostatistics, “West-Nile Virus Risk in Louisiana in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina,” $10,000
  
• Venkatarama Lakshmi, geological sciences, “Spatially distributed wetness resulting from flooding following hurricane Katrina: The time to dry down,” $25,000.
  

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