Popular Education
@populareducation.bsky.social
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Currently publishing a series on Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. Subscribe to our Substack at the link below: https://populareducationblog.substack.com/
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"That law changed strict bright-line media ownership rules that prohibited acquisitions of local stations by chains and moved them to a discretionary system where regulators could approve such acquisitions"
www.levernews.com/the-origins-...
The Origins Of Kimmelgate
A 1996 law from a Democratic president created Donald Trump’s censorship machine by consolidating media, broadband, and tech firms. We can stop it.
www.levernews.com
populareducation.bsky.social
Follow along as we continue our series on Hurricane Katrina and the forces that shaped New Orleans before, during, and after the storm.

New articles will be posted regularly, and you can subscribe for free to get them delivered straight to your inbox.

populareducationblog.substack.com
Popular Education | Dan Miller | Substack
My personal Substack. Click to read Popular Education, by Dan Miller, a Substack publication. Launched 13 days ago.
populareducationblog.substack.com
populareducation.bsky.social
Our third article examined how Hurricane Katrina didn’t strike equally. Black residents in low-lying, high-poverty neighborhoods—many without cars—were disproportionately trapped, exposing deep racial and economic inequalities in New Orleans.
populareducationblog.substack.com/p/demographi...
Demographic Disparities: Victims of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that structural inequalities, rather than nature alone, dictated vulnerability, evacuation, and post-storm recovery
populareducationblog.substack.com
populareducation.bsky.social
Recovery was unequal too: one year later, New Orleans’ population had nearly halved, with Black residents displaced at a much higher rate than white residents.
populareducation.bsky.social
Katrina revealed what systemic inequality looks like in practice: who could escape and who stayed behind wasn’t random—it was shaped by race and class.
populareducation.bsky.social
By 2004:

📍23% of the city lived below the poverty line

📍For Black residents, 35% were in poverty, the highest among large U.S. cities
populareducation.bsky.social
Historical factors played a role too:

📍Postwar white flight concentrated Black residents in low-lying neighborhoods

📍Deindustrialization and urban disinvestment weakened infrastructure in these areas
populareducation.bsky.social
Car ownership was a critical factor:

- 35% of Black households had no car

- 15% of white households had no car

- Among Black households in poverty, nearly 60% had no way to leave
populareducation.bsky.social
The reasons weren’t random: long-standing racial and economic inequalities left many without the resources to evacuate safely.
populareducation.bsky.social
The people most trapped and suffering? Overwhelmingly Black residents, living in the city’s most flood-prone neighborhoods.
populareducation.bsky.social
🧵When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, 80% of the city flooded, trapping over 100,000 residents. But not everyone was equally affected.
populareducation.bsky.social
Exploring the stories and systems that shape our world. My Substack dives into history, culture, society, and the forces behind the headlines—subscribe below for thoughtful deep dives:

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Popular Education | Dan Miller | Substack
My personal Substack. Click to read Popular Education, by Dan Miller, a Substack publication. Launched 6 days ago.
populareducationblog.substack.com
populareducation.bsky.social
The essential story: New Orleans prioritized economic growth over environmental security.

Trade, industry, and profit were chosen again and again at the expense of wetlands, safety, and the city’s most vulnerable residents.
populareducation.bsky.social
When Katrina hit in 2005:
120 mph winds
30 ft storm surge
80% of New Orleans flooded
1,000+ deaths
$125B in damages
populareducation.bsky.social
Scientists warned for years that wetland loss left New Orleans exposed. Plans like Coast 2050 were proposed—but the Bush administration rejected the $14B price tag in 2004.
populareducation.bsky.social
Since 1930, Louisiana has lost 1,900 square miles of coastal land.

Causes:
⛽ Oil & gas pipelines carved into marshes
🚢 The MR-GO canal destroyed 27,000 acres of wetlands
populareducation.bsky.social
To manage flooding, levees, canals, and pumps were built. After the Great Flood of 1927, federal investment expanded these defenses.

But levees gave a false sense of security as wetlands—the natural defense—were eroding away.
populareducation.bsky.social
By 1860, New Orleans was:
📍 The South’s largest port
📍 America’s largest domestic slave market
📍 The 5th biggest U.S. city

Flood risk never slowed expansion.