Two law professors at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law recently revisited the alarming impacts Katrina had on New Orleans.  Six years later, the immensely disparate impacts on the racial and economic minorities in New Orleans are still evident. Some of the most distressing developments relate to the reduction of New Orleans’ population in a manner which has made the city overall less diverse both racially and economically.   African-American families also face serious difficulties when trying to return to New Orleans or rebuild their houses because the apartments they used to occupy were bulldozed and those that lost their homes are awarded only the previous lower value rather than the actual cost to rebuild their houses.  In the wake of such devastating storms, much of the city and state infrastructure suffered as well and now 75% of New Orleans’ public schools are charter schools.  “According to the Institute on Race & Poverty of University of Minnesota Law School, ‘The reorganization of the city’s schools has created a separate but unequal tiered system of schools that steers a minority of students, including virtually all of the city’s white students, into a set of selective, higher-performing schools and another group, including most of the city’s students of color, into a group of lower-performing schools.’”  In addition to the increasing racial disparities, economic gaps continue to grow as well.  For example,  a full 70% more people are homeless in New Orleans and 34% of children live in poverty, 14% above the national average.  The lasting effects of the terrible storms which ravaged New Orleans have much to teach us about the systems on which we rely to help people in times of disaster.