Now a group of LSU sociology professors has put a number to it: 50 percent of East Baton Rouge Parish households have offered sanctuary to friends, family or complete strangers since the storm.

The group also found that 60 percent of East Baton Rouge residents reported doing volunteer work after Katrina, which struck Aug. 29. Most said they volunteered more than once, and most did so with faith-based organizations.

Those are some of the findings of surveys by LSU Professors Frederick Weil, Edward Shihadeh and Matthew Lee. About 1,300 people were surveyed between Sept. 27 and Nov. 29.

Weil said it is sobering to consider what could have happened to evacuees if residents hadn't provided so much relief.

"Louisiana is a really tight-knit area," Weil said.

He questioned whether government and relief agencies like the American Red Cross could have managed alone. He also wondered what would have happened in other areas of the country where people live farther away from family and close friends.

"In other places, where are the friends or relatives?" Weil asked.

The group has surveyed East Baton Rouge residents for six years.

The backdrop for this fall's survey was the huge increase in the parish's population, which swelled by almost 250,000 people immediately after the storm. That number has steadily dropped, and some experts expect the population to level off at about 50,000 above pre-storm numbers.

The survey revealed that while more than 90 percent of East Baton Rouge residents felt compassion toward evacuees, about 60 percent also reported feelings of fear, concern or irritation.

Weil said that while rumors of an increase in crime in Baton Rouge ran rampant in the early days after Katrina, fear of crime dropped quickly.

"Now it's lower than it was last spring," Weil said.

The professors gauged that fear by asking whether people were afraid to walk alone at night and felt they were likely to be a victim of crime.

Not surprisingly, traffic congestion and crowding were the main sources of irritation following the storm, the survey found.

"What people have traditionally liked about Baton Rouge is that it's a relatively easy place to live," Weil said. "It's getting more difficult because of crowding."

Residents also were asked what they felt the priorities should be for the city. Survey participants ranked education first and dealing with the aftermath of Katrina second. Also on the list were fighting crime, reducing traffic congestion, economic development and cleaning up litter.

The ranking of those priorities fell in much the same order as last year, with the addition of dealing with Katrina. However, traffic moved up in the list, swapping places with economic development, Weil said.

Weil said the group of professors plans to survey the same residents in the spring.

How does Weil sum up his findings?

"This shows a generous community that has some realistic concerns."

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