In August of 2005, the City of New Orleans and its surrounding environs fell victim to Hurricane Katrina, one of the most destructive natural disasters to occur in the United States over the past 100 years. This study addressed the question of whether, and, if so, to what extent, local media in the greater New Orleans area communicated to the population groups with the most limited resources the grave risks associated with hurricanes in general and Katrina in particular. This study examined two local newspapers, the Times-Picayune and the Louisiana Weekly, for risk communication content published from June 1, 2005, through August 29, 2005. The results of the study found that while adequate information was published in the pages of the newspapers under examination, many citizens in the Greater New Orleans Area either did not, or could not, act upon the advice and instructions given. Possibilities for this inaction included distrust of the messages or messengers, optimism bias due to previous personal experiences during storm season, or an inability to act due to circumstantial realities related to socio-economic status of the many at-risk citizens living at, or below, the poverty level. Hurricane Katrina resulted in more than 1,300 deaths and property damage in excess of $100 billion. Effectively communicating about risk is important, and the consequence of failure can be very serious. This research has endeavored, therefore, to provide meaningful analysis of certain effects which were visited upon vulnerable population groups in New Orleans, at least in part, as the result of the risk communication process related to Hurricane Katrina.