DIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT LATIN AMERICAN WORKERS

MISSISSIPPI SOUTH CAROLINA

hurricane katrina

HURRICANE KATRINA PROJECT

November 14, 2007. Gulf Coast rebuilding in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is far from over. While the efforts of local leaders have produced real strides, many communities, particularly non-White and rural communities can do more with proper support. In fact, they could lead us to national strategies not only to rebuild their lives, but to rebuild a healthy, sustainable and thriving region. Triumph Over Tragedy, CSI’s new report, examines leadership capacity for equitable and democratic rebuilding in five states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. Through partnerships with locally-based community consultants, CSI conducted interviews with local and regional nonprofit organizations, religious groups, public sector and business leaders, funders and community leaders of each state. The report offers recommendations to foundations and national organizations on how they can support local leadership to transform the region. Click here to view Triumph Over Tragedy.

August 18, 2006. CSI posts its report, The Race to Rebuild: The Color of Opportunity and the Future of New Orleans. The report analyzes existing data on the progress of rebuilding New Orleans' communities. It also examines existing rebuilding policies to show that current policies are both insufficient to assist Black New Orleanians to return or rebuild their lives and that White New Orleanians would have improved opportunities if the federal government responds to their fellow New Orleanians structural barriers to return. The report gives grades to progress in indicators including housing, healthcare, education and utilities. The report includes a rebuilding report card, which will be updated monthly.
Click here to read the full report here
Click here to see the rebuilding report card

CSI has now posted our Clearinghouse Chart to provide useful information to those affected by and interested in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  This chart is a work in progress and will be updated constantly, so check with us often.

See: CSI HURRICANE KATRINA CLEARINGHOUSE CHART(253 KB)
 

On December 6, 2005, the Center for Social Inclusion (CSI) met with local and national organizations in Baton Rouge, LA to discuss long-term needs and strategies for rebuilding New Orleans. Locally based not-for profit groups poignantly described the dispersal of staff struggling with their own lack of housing, the destruction of offices and information. Their effectiveness in the face of their personal and infrastructure challenges is nothing short of inspiring.

To engage effectively in the discussion around rebuilding and to serve the needs of their displaced communities, not-for-profit groups need core support. After the Tsunami that devastated several countries in Asia in late December 2004, core support from foundations and individual donations to rebuild basic infrastructure were essential to rebuilding. Following Hurricane Katrina, CSI and its partner organizations convened the Baton Rouge meeting to bring national and local groups into a joint discussion about what should happen in New Orleans and how national groups can support the efforts of local groups. Rebuilding their capacity to step up to the phenomenal task of rebuilding is a key component.

To help national organizations find local partners and to assist local groups in attracting national resources to their critical work, CSI has drafted a table of local and regional social justice organizations that are working in some way on rebuilding the Gulf Coast. The table is not exhaustive. CSI will update the table on a weekly basis, but we will also encourage others to post it, or link to our website, so that it can serve as a resource for anyone who might make use of its information.

Please feel free to call with any questions. We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to find ways to collectively support the rebuilding of an equitable and just Gulf Coast.
 

See:  CSI HURRICANE KATRINA FACT SHEET