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1. Examining the Aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans: A Qualitative Study of Faculty and Staff Perceptions
Often considered “one of the most-devastating disasters in the history of the United States” [1, Paragraph 1], empirical research findings have shown the negative impact of Hurricane Katrina on school-aged children and adolescents [2–6] and adults [4–12]. Of significance, over 1 million people were relocated after Hurricane Katrina, displacing 370,000 children and adolescents in schools in Mississippi and Louisiana [10] and 200,000 children and adolescents in Louisiana alone [13]. The displacement of students from Mississippi and Louisiana resulted in transfers to schools across 46 states [4].
In addition to the relocated children and adolescents, 25,000 school-based Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) faculty and staff in Mississippi and Louisiana were displaced [11]. Yet, despite the extensive displacement among faculty and staff in schools and the vast amount of studies about the general aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina, research that focuses on K-12 school-based employees has been limited. This paucity of research is noteworthy, considering that teachers and other school-related formal helpers (e.g., school counselors, nurses, etc.) and informal helpers (e.g., coaches, librarians, cafeteria personnel, etc.) are often among the most important care providers to school-aged children after crises [14]. Thus, it is imperative that researchers study the voices, the stories, and the lived experiences of K-12 faculty and staff after disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. The current study focuses on this understudied, important population.
2. Background
2.1. K-12 Faculty and Staff Experiences after Hurricane Katrina
A number of studies have shown the effects of Hurricane Katrina on faculty and staff in schools in Mississippi and Louisiana [3, 5, 6, 11, 13, 15], with the primary research focused on teachers rather than staff members or other faculty (e.g., librarians, school counselors). Therefore, the background for the current study draws from the empirical research examining the aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina reported by K-12 teachers.
To understand teacher concerns after Hurricane Katrina, principals in Louisiana discussed the issues faced by teachers employed in their schools [13]. The principals reported that after Hurricane Katrina, teachers stated (1) “… higher levels of stress than in prior years” (page xvii), (2) “increased frequencies of work fatigue, job frustration, and absenteeism” (page xvii), (3) pressure with “their...