This thesis examines the role of neighborhood and community organizations in New Orleans, Louisiana in contending with increasingly frequent and severe flash flood events due to increased rains in the Gulf Coast region. Based upon decades of research on the utility of local networks in disaster recovery and mitigation, the thesis investigates how neighborhood organizations are addressing this unfolding disaster. Using a survey of neighborhood organizations in New Orleans, this analysis reveals how socioeconomic factors may prevent neighborhood organizations located in high-risk flood zones from being oriented towards flood issues. The findings raise concern about the influence of enduring patterns of spatial inequality upon the ability of communities to defend themselves against growing environmental hazards.
