PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Harris, Douglas N. AU - Larsen, Matthew F. TI - Taken by Storm AID - 10.3368/jhr.58.5.0819-10367R2 DP - 2023 Sep 01 TA - Journal of Human Resources PG - 1608--1643 VI - 58 IP - 5 4099 - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/58/5/1608.short 4100 - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/58/5/1608.full SO - J Hum Resour2023 Sep 01; 58 AB - Hurricane Katrina was one of the nation’s worst natural disasters. It also triggered one of the nation’s most intense market-based school reforms, in which almost all traditional public schools were turned into charter schools. We study the effects of these combined events on students who attended New Orleans public schools before and after the storm. Using matched difference-in-differences, we find that student test scores, high school graduation, college attendance, and college graduation all rose sharply. Most racial and income gaps in outcomes declined. The school reforms appear to have been the main mechanism.