Disaster after Disaster: Unexpected Thousand-Year Floods and Presidential Elections

Authors

  • Priscilla D. Allen Louisiana State University
  • Jennifer L. Scott

Keywords:

disasters, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, disaster capitalism, Alton Sterling, Hurricane Katrina, floods

Abstract

One person’s disaster may be another’s opportunity. Depending on the level of damage one has personally experienced or witnessed others experience may determine the level of impact or fate of recovery. The authors reflect on the state of Louisiana where racial turbulence and a thousand-year flood happened just prior to the presidential election in 2016. Using a base of “disaster capitalism” to frame how we may understand the still evolving Trump administration, we reflect personally and professionally on how some may profit from the enterprise of disaster and how human service professionals may mitigate devastating results through their own awareness of the narratives and changing societal attention or alienation. Three narratives are presented within a broader discussion of the historical relevance, timing, and experiences of the faculty and practitioner who were initially destabilized by the election results.

Author Biography

Priscilla D. Allen, Louisiana State University

Social Work, Associate Professor

LSU Life Course and Aging Center, Executive Associate Director

Downloads

Published

2018-03-08

How to Cite

Allen, P. D., & Scott, J. L. (2018). Disaster after Disaster: Unexpected Thousand-Year Floods and Presidential Elections. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 23(2), 53–59. Retrieved from https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/1552

Issue

Section

The Aftermath of Historical Events