This article compares the long-term recovery from disaster in Joplin, Missouri, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, both devastated by tornados in 2011. It shows the different narratives and perceptions of recovery based on residents’ race/ethnicity, social class and gender. In particular, the article provides evidence of colour-blind racist statements from dominant groups and a repudiation of levelling effects from people of colour. The author calls for the inclusion of an intersectional perspective in assessments of disasters to better understand recovery processes.