A collection of essays published shortly after Hurricane Katrina and the resulting calamity for the region and country.  The essays explore a wide range of topics:

• Structures of vulnerability, including the race, class, gender, and age of those suffering most
• Political projects that have distorted the pursuit of "homeland security"
• Bias that has sent federal resources disproportionately to rural areas and suburbs rather than cities
• Media coverage of the disaster
• Response from the American public
• Philanthropic and charitable responses
• The physical infrastructure on which cities depend (and its vulnerabilities)
• The relationship between the Iraq War for disaster preparedness and recovery
• Problems of oil dependency and related infrastructures
• Environmental policy and global warming, wetlands management, etc.
• Costs of “privatization” and cuts in government capacity
• Leadership at every level
• Law enforcement and public order
• Predicting "emergencies" and responding to predictions
• The economic implications of catastrophic events
• Comparisons: to the recent Asian tsunami, to 9/11 in New York, to earlier hurricane disasters in the U.S., etc