Raising the alarm and calming fears: Perceived threat and efficacy during risk and crisis

According to the National Hurricane Center, Katrina was the costliest and one of the five deadliest hurricanes to ever strike the United States (Knabb, Rhome, & Brown, 2005). Many estimate that Katrina will be the biggest and costliest natural disaster in the country's history (Kofman, 2005; Axtman, 2006). At the time this chapter was written, the official death toll across seven states stood at 1, 310 (Roberts, 2006). Another 1, 900 individuals are still missing, with many presumed dead (Daily News, 2006). Katrina displaced nearly 770, 000 residents, and destroyed nearly 300, 000 homes (Axtman, 2006). To date, it is estimated that Katrina caused nearly $60 billion in insured damages (Insurance Networking News, 2006), and government spending has topped $88 billion with another $20 billion requested (Department of Homeland Security, 2006).