The Hurricane Katrina Diaspora
Brian Gongol


Please note: This page contains three data sets. The first is from September 1, 2005. The second is from September 3, 2005. The third is from September 11, 2005. The final set is the most comprehensive, though no map has been generated yet due to the size of the data block collected.


Data Set #1: September 1, 2005


Apparent extent of the Hurricane Katrina diaspora as of Sep. 1, 2005

Blue dots represent cities reporting significant numbers of evacuees as of September 1, 2005; gray dots represent nearby cities not reporting significant clusters of evacuees

The sheer magnitude of the evacuation of New Orleans can be masked by the way in which the evacuees are spread out over an enormous portion of the United States. The magnitude of the diaspora is only apparent when the local reports from the far-flung places those evacuees settled are consolidated onto a map:

Major Cities Reporting a Significant Number of Evacuees/Refugees from New Orleans as of September 1, 2005: The above locations formed the perimeter for major evacuee settlements as of September 1, 2005.

Major media in cities like Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Des Moines, Cincinnati, Charleston, Raleigh, and Columbia didn't feature stories about large numbers of evacuees settling in those communities by September 1st.

Data Set #2: September 3, 2005


Apparent extent of the Hurricane Katrina diaspora as of Sep. 3, 2005

The diaspora expanded its perimeter into the weekend. By September 3rd, the following cities were reporting significant evacuee arrivals or were implementing plans to accommodate large numbers of displaced people:

Major Cities Reporting a Significant Number of Evacuees/Refugees from New Orleans as of September 3, 2005: Major cities apparently forming the perimeter of communities not yet reached by the diaspora as of September 3, 2005, include Phoenix, AZ; Albuquerque, NM; Sioux Falls, SD; Milwaukee, WI; Cheyenne, WY; Columbus, OH; Cleveland, OH; Charleston, WV; Washington, DC; and Richmond, VA.

Data Set #3: September 11, 2005


Distribution of Evacuees By September 11, 2005

Site State Planned Already
Baton Rouge LA 0 200000 Link
Arkansas (state) AR 0 50000 Link
Birmingham AL 0 35000 Link
Dallas TX 0 17000 Link
San Antonio TX 0 13000 Link
Memphis TN 0 12000 Link
Atlanta GA 25000 10000 Link Link
Brownsville TX 0 10000 Link
Houston TX 0 10000 Link
Nashville TN 0 6500 Link
Shreveport LA 0 6000 Link
Missouri (state) MO 0 5800 Link
Orlando FL 0 5000 Link
Austin TX 0 4000 Link
Illinois (state) IL 0 4000 Link
Galveston TX 0 3000 Link
Chicago IL 0 2300 Link
Los Angeles CA 2000 2000 Link
Pensacola FL 0 2000 Link
St. Louis MO 0 1800 Link
Oklahoma (state) OK 0 1700 Link
Tulsa OK 0 1130 Link
Louisville KY 500 1000 Link
Kansas City MO 0 1000 Link
Charlotte NC 0 830 Link
Las Vegas NV 200 800 Link
Savannah GA 5000 700 Link
Washington DC 0 700 Link Link
Springfield MO 0 700 Link
Detroit MI 0 600 Link
Salt Lake City UT 0 590 Link
San Diego CA 0 550 Link
Huntsville AL 0 500 Link
Iowa (state) IA 0 500 Link
San Francisco CA 0 400 Link
Raleigh NC 0 350 Link
Jackson MS 0 350 Link
Columbia SC 0 330 Link
Columbia SC 0 300 Link
Knoxville TX 0 300 Link
El Paso TX 0 280 Link
Battle Creek MI 0 280 Link
Denver CO 500 250 Link
Boston MA 0 250 Link
Phoenix AZ 0 220 Link
Baltimore MD 0 200 Link
Richmond VA 0 200 Link
Milwaukee WI 0 200 Link
Colorado Springs CO 0 200 Link
Albuquerque NM 0 200 Link
Omaha NE 0 170 Link
Sarasota FL 0 150 Link
Rochester NY 0 150 Link
Cape Cod MA 120 110 Link
Greenville SC 0 110 Link
Omaha NE 500 100 Link
Fort Myers WA 25 100 Link
Newport News VA 0 100 Link
Jacksonville FL 0 70 Link
Minneapolis MN 500 60 Link
Chattanooga TN 0 50 Link
Urbana-Champaign IL 0 50 Link
Tucson AZ 0 50 Link
Philadelphia PA 0 40 Link
Buffalo NY 0 40 Link
Waco TX 0 30 Link
South Bend IN 0 30 Link
Indianapolis IN 100 25 Link
Des Moines IA 0 20 Link
Dayton OH 0 20 Link
Grand Rapids MI 0 20 Link
Toledo OH 0 20 Link
Montana (state) MT 0 20 Link
Madison WI 0 15 Link
Cincinnati OH 0 15 Link
Scranton PA 0 10 Link
Spokane WA 0 10
Roanoke VA 3000 0 Link
Lexington KY 500 0 Link
Pittsburgh PA 300 0 Link
New York City NY 200 0 Link
Sacramento CA 200 0 Link
Syracuse NY 150 0 Link
Fort Myers FL 30 0 Link
Johnstown PA 15 0 Link
Albany NY 0 0
Burlington VT 0 0
Hartford CT 0 0
Portland ME 0 0
Providence RI 0 0 Link
Bristol VA 0 0 Link
Greensboro NC 0 0
Miami FL 0 0
Palm Beach FL 0 0
Cedar Rapids IA 0 0
Evansville IN 0 0
Wichita KS 0 0 Link
Portland OR 0 0 Link
Columbus OH 0 0 Link
Green Bay WI 0 0
Fresno CA 0 0 Link


The approximate sum of the confirmed values above is about 416,000 people -- which, given the magnitude of the disaster and resulting diaspora, is probably the most reasonable estimate possible based on the available information.

Understanding the Importance

The United States simply doesn't have a modern experience with a sudden, mass migration of this magnitude. While much of the immediate humanitarian response to Hurricane Katrina focuses on moving resources to the immediate area of the disaster, the migration of thousands of people to new locations on a semi-permanent basis is going to expose lots of important things about the nation's economy. Since we already know that a significant possibility of a serious terrorist attack on a major American city exists, the exodus from New Orleans and nearby parts of the Gulf Coast are essentially writing the book for next time. The importance of what we learn now shouldn't be underestimated.