Come Hell or High Water

Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster

This work examines what Hurricane Katrina reveals about the fault lines of race and poverty in America – and what lessons we must take from the flood. When Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans, hundreds of thousands were left behind to suffer the ravages of destruction, disease and even death. The majority were black, and nearly all were poor.

The Federal government’s slow response to local appeals for help is now notorious. Yet despite the cries of outrage that have mounted since the levees broke, America has failed to confront the disaster’s true lesson: to be poor, or black, in today’s ownership society, is to be left behind. Displaying the intellectual rigor, political passion and personal empathy that have won him acclaim and fans all across the color line, Michael Eric Dyson offers a searing assessment of the meaning of Hurricane Katrina.

Combining interviews with survivors of the disaster with his deep knowledge of black migrations and government policy over decades, Dyson provides the historical context that has been sorely missing from public conversation.