The picture is hardly complete. The initial lack of cooperation on the local, state and federal levels made it impossible to track them all, and by now evacuees have scattered across the nation and the world. But the study offers a glimpse into the lives of those for whom, after a year of chaos, much of the support and sympathy has tapered off, leaving them to struggle alone.
Houston, which took in the most evacuees after the storm–250,000–harbors the largest remaining group, about 150,000. Most families earn about $26,360 a year. Blamed for overcrowding and a rise in crime, evacuees feel so stigmatized that they often hide their identity when applying for jobs or social services.
Nearly half the 15,000 evacuees still in San Antonio have a family member suffering from a chronic medical condition. Most are unskilled or unemployed, and in need of housing. One evacuee talked of nightmares: “I have dreams that I didn’t make it.”
Because so many evacuees had family and friends in Atlanta, the city harbored more middle- and upper-class people who were able to flee on their own; more than 80 percent remain in the area.
The smallest number of evacuees made their way to Birmingham, which was lauded for its quick response to the storm. Only about 1,500 are there now, but many must compete for jobs and social services with the 21 percent of residents already living below the poverty line.
As a first stop for responders, Baton Rouge has boomed. But many of the 25,000 to 50,000 evacuees in the city today are uninsured, and hundreds are still living in FEMA trailer villages–unsure how to start anew, with no place else to go.
