Final answer:
The claim that levees were intentionally blown up during Hurricane Betsy in 1965 to protect whiter, wealthier neighborhoods at the expense of African American ones is a disproven theory.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Gina Montana and other interviewees, a conspiracy theory persists that during Hurricane Betsy in 1965, city authorities in New Orleans intentionally blew up the levees to redirect floodwaters away from whiter, wealthier neighborhoods onto poorer, predominantly African American areas. However, this claim has been widely disproven by historians and researchers; the destruction primarily resulted from the inadequate construction and maintenance of the levees rather than deliberate action. The failure of the levees during Hurricane Betsy did expose the racial and economic inequalities in the city, as the less affluent neighborhoods, mostly inhabited by African Americans, bore more significant consequences of the flooding.
Later, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina highlighted these disparities on a larger scale when it devastated New Orleans. The levees failed once again, resulting in extensive flooding that trapped and killed many residents, disproportionately affecting African American communities. The handling of emergency responses by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the delay in government aid drew heavy criticism and revealed the continuing issues of racial and class inequality in disaster management and urban planning.
History has recorded numerous instances, like the 1900 Galveston hurricane, where proactive measures post-disaster have been successfully implemented. However, post-Katrina New Orleans struggled with delays in public service resumption, further showcasing the economic and racial divides in the United States, brought into sharp relief during such crises.