This article assesses the impacts from Tropical Storm Allison (TSA) that hit Louisiana in 2001. Questionnaires were given to residents in four subdivisions that were affected by TSA in order to determine the impacts of the storm, their vulnerability, and their coping and adaptation strategies. The author uses several theoretical frameworks to analyze the findings, including environmental inequity, human ecology, and conservation of resources models. The findings are plentiful. Only 14.9% of participants reported no damage to their home, meaning the large majority were at least partially impacted by TSA. About a third of participants reported between $1,000 and $9,000 in losses, while 28% reported more than $20,000 in losses. Approximately half of the participants agreed that homeowners are responsible for protecting their houses from flooding, while the majority of the other half believes the government is responsible for protecting their property. More than half of the respondents (58%) feel that humans have partly caused some of the flooding, and most are aware that flooding is inevitable. In terms of preparation, the majority had flood insurance, however, making preparations to one’s own home was not a high priority (using sandbags, water pumps, creating diversion paths, etc.) for TSA. Inadequate drainage systems were the biggest obstacle to flood prevention reported by 63% of participants. In terms of demographics, the elderly were more negatively impacted by TSA and minority groups found it harder to get access to resources (such as emergency relief, flood insurance, etc.). African Americans also reported a higher reliance on networks (relatives and friends), which were found to be the most helpful source of coping with the impact of TSA among all ethnic groups. One limitation of this study is that it focuses on acute impacts, not long-term.
