NO RECENT NATURAL DISASTER SINCE PERHAPS THE GREAT MISSISSIPPI floods of 1927 and 1993 has had such an immense impact on our national pride and confidence as did Katrina. The reason was evident from the time the storm began to form in the Gulf of Mexico and even after it hit land: our government at all levels was dazed and confused. The infrastructure and organizational structures operating for decades and costing billions of dollars were overwhelmed. This was a disaster of great proportions, taking place in one of the poorest communities in our country and affecting some of the most important economic structures in the land—our largest port, a huge network of oil and gas pipeline and production facilities, offshore drilling, shipbuilding, and some of our largest fisheries, to just cite a few examples. Much has been written and debated about this event and its effects on both the local area and the nation, and this paper is not intended to replicate that work. The focus here is on the process used to support and invest in the nation’s water resources infrastructure. I will describe changes that have come about in recent years and why this process may in fact put people and communities at greater risk. Our vulnerability to such disasters is seen through many lenses. It is about people and relationships but also about places and nature. It is about how we live and the structures we build to protect us, manage our commerce, enhance sustainability, and give pleasure to our lives. In Louisiana and the Mississippi River watershed, it is about levees, chan nels, port facilities, housing, and flood plain management. Indeed, a social research Vol 75: No 3: Fall 2008 793