Good evening everyone. It has nearly been three years since Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Central Gulf Coast of the United States, and altered not only the coastline, but also the culture, economy, demographics, and now the politics of the region. Looking at the article published online the other day by University of New Orleans political scientist, Edward E. Chervenak, indicates that the dramatic change in the demographic makeup of the city of New Orleans as well as the rest of the State of Louisiana, has also made a significant political impact.

According to this study by Chervenak, there was a 23 percent, or approximately a 100,000 voter decline in the Crescent City. Breaking that down by race, there was a 41 percent decline among the African American community while simultaneously, there was only a 15 percent drop in White voters. This analysis was done over a four year period starting two years before Katrina in 2003, and ending last year (2007). Moving on to the statewide demographics, there wwere 125,000 fewer voters in the Democratic Party that cast votes in the 2007 Gubenatorial election while members of the Republican Party grew by 3.5 percent. Consequently, a Republican, Bobby Jindal, became governor replacing Kathleen Blanco, who presided over the statehouse during the storm, and its immediate aftermath.

There was many accusations made in the wake of Katrina that the failed response by the federal government to help New Orleans was an attempt to wipe out an entire class of people. In light of the results of this study, it makes you wonder what those same critics are thinking now. It is not to say that Louisiana was a Blue State before Katrina. As a matter of fact, in both the 2000 and 2004 Presidential Elections, the Republicans carried the state en route to victories. Nevertheless, the Democrats controlled the statehouse as well as the city of New Orleans (although Ray Nagin is not your typical Democrat) prior to Hurricane Katrina.

On top of that, Louisiana has always been known pretty much as a Democratic State thanks to the likes of populists such as Huey Long back in the days of FDR back in the 1920s and 1930s. The diaspora that followed the devastation of Katrina and debacle of the government response has changed the makeup of the Bayou State. The question is now will the political transformation that has occurred over these past three years, bring about the necessary changes that are needed in the bayou and coastline to replenish Louisiana’s barrier islands, or will the current Republican Administration’s thirst for oil, use the Port of New Orleans, its refineries, and transport of commerce, to continue the policies of the last 50 years or so. And, that policy is to proceed with rearranging the coast and its waterways, and thus preventing the necessary sediment to build upon itself, and grow new and much needed barrier islands that would fortify New Orleans against a future Katrina or Rita.