Katrina Recovery

A Grim Reminder: How Deepwater Horizon Challenges Us to Finally Address Gulf Coast Poverty
(Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity - Sept. 7, 2010)

This commentary makes the case for renewed efforts to support Gulf Coast residents in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.Jessica McKelvie Kemp, director of communications at the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation (LDRF), draws attention to the persistent poverty in Gulf Coast states that is magnified by disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the BP oil spill. While short-term economic relief is necessary to cover economic losses caused by the oil spill, long-term solutions to tackle deep poverty in the region are needed. She argues that non-profit and charitable organizations must work in partnership with the public sector to improve education and economic opportunity. LDRF has worked with its partners to tackle these challenges by building strong local leadership, strengthening the region’s non-profit sector and fostering public-private alignment.

Lessons from Katrina: Recognizing the Intersection of Race, Place, and Poverty
(Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity - Sept. 1, 2010)

Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink, discusses how Hurricane Katrina exposed the rest of America to the deep poverty and government neglect that exist in black communities along the Gulf Coast. The author argues that strategies that address race, place and poverty are needed to help distressed communities become socially and economically viable. Blackwell provides examples such as the Obama administration’s Promise Neighborhoods initiative, the Open Society Institute’s Campaign for Black Male Achievement and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s recent commitment to promote racial healing and eliminate barriers to opportunity.

Women Still Especially Vulnerable, Five Years After Katrina
(Institute for Women's Policy Research - August 2010)

Fact sheets by the Institute for Women's Policy Research show that women of color remained, returned, or moved to New Orleans in low numbers relative to white women in the five years since Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of the city. There are also fewer single mothers, and especially single mothers living in poverty, today than before Katrina struck. Part of the reason lies in the fact that most public housing, much of which remained structurally sound after the storm, was demolished and is only gradually being replaced, often with mixed-income developments. The lack of housing options in New Orleans highlights the value of involving women and the poor in planning and reconstruction efforts following disasters.

Legacy of Katrina: The Impact of a Flawed Recovery on Vulnerable Children of the Gulf Coast
(Children’s Health Fund and Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness - August 2010)

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, an estimated 163,000 children were displaced from Louisiana and Mississippi, according to a report from the Children’s Health Fund and Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness. The report, Legacy of Katrina: The Impact of a Flawed Recovery on Vulnerable Children of the Gulf Coast, finds that while there have been significant signs of economic and educational recovery in the Gulf Coast, many children from the poorest and most vulnerable populations are still suffering from mental health issues and housing instability.

K-12 Public Education Reform in New Orleans

This report, by the Initiative For Regional And Community Transformation, examines K-12 public schools in New Orleans, pre and post Katrina, and provides special reccomendations for education reform.

Transforming an American Region: Recommendations for Rebuilding the U.S. Gulf Coast after the Storms

This report, by the Initiative For Regional And Community Transformation, presents a distilled set of challenges and opportunities for philanthropy to consider in the rebuilding effort of the Gulf Coast. The report focuses on three major areas of need and grant making for philanthropic organizations and other groups to consider in rebuilding and transforming the region: (1) leadership development, (2) community and economic development, and (3) the support and development of philanthropy.

Voices from the Gulf Coast by United Way of America