CBS NEWS POLL

For release: Thursday, August 26, 2010

6:30 pm (EDT)

HURRICANE KATRINA: FIVE YEARS LATER

August 20-24, 2010

• Five years after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf region, 52% of Americans say New
Orleans has not yet recovered from the devastation that hurricane caused, but many
think the city will eventually bounce back.

• Most think the federal government could have done more to help in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina, and there is concern today that the government is not prepared to
deal with another hurricane of Katrina’s magnitude.

• Americans’ image of “The Big Easy” has improved in recent years: 72% have a good
image of the city, compared to just 49% four years ago.

• 49% of Americans think the oil spill in the Gulf will have caused more hardship for Gulf
residents in the long run, while 44% think Hurricane Katrina will have caused more
hardship.

THE RECOVERY OF NEW ORLEANS AND THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE

More than half of Americans do not think the city of New Orleans, one of the areas hardest hit
by Hurricane Katrina, has recovered from that disaster. Just a third believes the city has mostly
recovered.

Has New Orleans Mostly Recovered From Hurricane Katrina?

Yes 35%
No 52

On a more positive note, among those who say New Orleans has still not recovered, 63% think
that the city will eventually rebound.

Will New Orleans Ever Recover From Hurricane Katrina?

(among those who say New Orleans has not yet recovered)
Yes 63%
No 34

Looking back, Americans are critical of the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina.
63% think the government could have done more to help the city of New Orleans, while just
31% say the government has done all it could reasonably be expected to do.

Has the Federal Government Done All it Could Have to Help New Orleans?
Could have done more 63%
Done all it could do 31
In addition, most Americans (60%) think New Orleans should receive additional federal
government aid because of the damage it sustained as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Should New Orleans Receive More Government Aid to Help Rebuild?

Yes 60%
No 30

There are differences by political party when it comes to the government’s response to the
disaster and whether New Orleans should get more government aid. Democrats are more likely
than Republicans to say the government could have done more to help, and that New Orleans
deserves more government aid.

And Americans express concern that the government would not be able to handle another
Hurricane Katrina. Nearly six in 10 do not think the federal government is adequately prepared
for a hurricane similar to that of Katrina. Americans across all demographic groups are in
agreement.

Is the Federal Government Adequately Prepared to Deal with

Another Hurricane Katrina?
Yes 34%
No 59

When Americans are asked to choose which of three factors was the biggest contributor to the
destruction in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina, 34% choose poor construction of the
levees, followed by 24% who say poor handling of the emergency by the government, and
another 21% who choose lack of services like transportation.

Which One Was the Biggest Contributing Factor to the Destruction in New Orleans
Caused by Hurricane Katrina?
Poor construction of the levees 34%
Poor handling of the emergency 24
Lack of services 21
Combination (vol.) 17

While Americans are critical of the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, more than half -
55% - do not think race played a role in the slow response to the tragedy. 19% think that
because those who remained in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina were mostly black, that
was a major factor in the slow response, while 21% say that was a minor factor.

Overall views on this are similar to what they were five years ago, soon after Hurricane Katrina
hit.

Did Race of Those Left Behind Affect Officials' Response Time?

Now 9/2005
Yes, major factor 19% 21%
Yes, minor factor 21 16
No, not a factor 55 59

While most think New Orleans has yet to recover from the damage caused by Hurricane
Katrina, 72% of Americans have a good image of the Birthplace of Jazz, an increase of 23
points from August 2006, a year after Hurricane Katrina made landfall.
 Image of New Orleans
Now 8/2006
Good 72% 49%
Bad 19 42

THE OIL SPILL IN THE GULF

A more recent event has again ravaged the nations’ Gulf Coast region -- the oil spill in the Gulf
of Mexico. Most Americans think the Gulf area will eventually recover from both the
environmental and economic damage caused by the oil spill. About one in five say the area may
never recover from that damage.

Will the Gulf Recover from the… ?

Environmental Economic
Damage Damage
No, may never recover 20% 16%
Yes, will eventually recover 71 79
Damage not bad now 5 4

Americans are divided as to which tragedy will cause more hardship for Gulf residents in the
long run: Hurricane Katrina or the oil spill in the Gulf. 49% think the oil spill will cause more
hardship, while 44% choose Hurricane Katrina.

In the Long Run, Which will have caused More Hardship for Gulf Residents?
Hurricane Katrina 44%
Oil spill in the Gulf 49

As the federal government’s administrator, Ken Feinberg, takes over the handling of the oil spill
claims fund, fewer than half of Americans are confident that BP will fairly compensate those
affected by the oil spill. 53% are not confident.

Confident BP will Fairly Compensate People Affected by Oil Spill?

Now 7/2010 6/2010
Very confident 10% 8% 10%
Somewhat confident 34 32 40
Not very/at all confident 53 58 49

___________________________________________________________________________
This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,082 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone
August 20-24, 2010. Phone numbers were dialed from random digit dial samples of both standard land-
line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or
minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
CBS NEWS POLL
Hurricane Katrina: Five Years Later
August 20-24, 2010

q36 How confident are you that BP will fairly compensate those affected by the oil spill
in the Gulf -- very confident, somewhat confident, not very confident, or not at all
confident?

** TOTAL RESPONDENTS **
*** Party ID ***
Total Rep Dem Ind Jul10b
% % % % %
Very confident 10 10 8 11 8
Somewhat confident 34 43 28 34 32
Not very confident 31 29 34 31 33
Not at all confident 22 17 28 21 25
DK/NA 3 1 2 3 2

q37 From what you know, is the environmental damage caused by the oil spill in the Gulf
of Mexico so severe that the wildlife, like fish and birds, may never recover OR is the
damage severe but the wildlife will eventually recover, OR is the damage not all that
severe?

May never recover 20 13 27 17

Eventually recover 71 72 67 73
Not that severe 5 11 2 4
DK/NA 4 4 4 6

q38 From what you know, is the economic damage caused by the oil spill so severe that the
Gulf coast economy, including businesses like fishing and tourism, may never recover, Or
is the economic damage severe but the Gulf coast economy will recover, or is the damage
not all that severe?

May never recover 16 10 17 19

Eventually recover 79 84 77 76
Not that severe 4 5 4 3
DK/NA 1 1 2 2

q39 In the long run, which do you think will have caused more hardship for the Gulf
residents, Hurricane Katrina or the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?

Hurricane Katrina 44 51 43 41
Oil spill 49 44 48 53
Depends (Vol.) 2 2 2 2
DK/NA 5 3 7 4

q40 As far as you know, do you think the city of New Orleans has mostly recovered or
mostly not recovered from the effects of Hurricane Katrina?

Recovered 35 42 30 35
Not recovered 52 41 64 51
DK/NA 13 17 6 14
q41 Do you think the city of New Orleans will ever recover from the effects of Hurricane
Katrina, or not?

** AMONG THOSE WHO SAID NOT RECOVERED IN Q40 **

*** Party ID ***
Total Rep Dem Ind
% % % %
Will recover 63 64 63 61
Will not recover 34 33 34 36
DK/NA 3 3 3 3

q42 Looking back, do you think the federal government has done all it could reasonably be
expected to do to help the city of New Orleans recover from the effects of Hurricane
Katrina, or could the government have done more?

** TOTAL RESPONDENTS **
Done enough 31 47 20 30
Could have done more 63 49 76 63
DK/NA 6 4 4 7

q43 Do you think New Orleans should receive additional federal government aid to help
rebuild the city due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, or don't you think
additional aid is necessary?

Should 60 51 76 54
Not necessary 30 41 18 32
DK/NA 10 8 6 14

q44 Which one of these do you think was the biggest contributing factor to the
destruction in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina? 1. Poor construction of the
levees by the government, OR 2. Poor handling of the emergency by the government, OR 3.
Poverty and lack of services like transportation?

Poor construction of levees 34 37 33 33

Poor handling by gov’t 24 20 23 27
Poverty & lack of services 21 20 22 20
Combination (Vol.) 17 15 19 17
DK/NA 4 8 3 3

q45 Some people have said that because the people who remained in New Orleans after the
hurricane and flooding were mostly African American, help was slow to come, and that if
the people who remained left in New Orleans had been mostly white, help would have come
faster. Do you think the factor that those who remained in New Orleans were mostly black
was a major factor, a minor factor, or not a factor in the government's response in New
Orleans?

Sep05b
%
Major factor 19 10 32 13 21
Minor factor 21 16 21 24 16
Not a factor 55 72 41 55 59
DK/NA 5 2 6 8 4
q46 In general, do you have a good image or a bad image of New Orleans?

** TOTAL RESPONDENTS **
*** Party ID ***
Total Rep Dem Ind Aug06b
% % % % %
Good image 72 65 75 73 49
Bad image 19 27 19 13 42
DK/NA 9 8 6 14 9

q47 BLANK

q48 In general, do you think the federal government is adequately prepared to deal with
another hurricane similar to Hurricane Katrina, or not?

Prepared 34 41 33 30
Not prepared 59 50 63 62
DK/NA 7 9 4 8

UNWEIGHTED WEIGHTED
Total Respondents 1082

Total Republicans 312 282

Total Democrats 353 362
Total Independents 417 438