Strategies for Success:
Three Lessons from the Hurricane Katrina Recovery Fund

A Report from The Twenty-First Century Foundation . Read full report here
There has been much information and disinformation regarding what happened to the people who live on the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This is a link to our report on the relentless efforts of those rebuilding this region under the most difficult of circumstances.

Strategies for Success: Three Lessons from the Hurricane Katrina Recovery Fund

Civic Engagement and Leadership Development – It’s important to support established as well as emerging organizations and leaders who contribute to equitable long-term solutions. People in underserved communities know their own needs, so we encourage respectful communications among the interest groups and champion the cultivation of strong internal leadership.

In the case of the Southern Mutual Help Association (SMHA)
of New Iberia, Louisiana, this has meant advocating on behalf of rural communities that were ravaged by Hurricane Rita. The devastation wrought by this storm has been neglected, if not outright ignored, by many organizations and the national media, whose attention has been on New Orleans and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

SMHA briefed elected officials on the issue of toxic molds in homes with serious water damage at a recent hearing during a joint legislative session. In turn, this helped to positively influence FEMA policy, which now requires the provision of protective gear to those working on the rebuilding of these structures. Building on these successes, SMHA is preparing bold policy initiatives involving National Disaster Recovery Bonds and Disaster Recovery Homeownership Tax Credits.

Media and Investigative Journalism – Amplifying the voices and experiences of poor and lower-income people left behind by the recovery effort through local, regional, and national media platforms is crucial. High-quality investigative journalism helps the public at large understand what is at stake when our governmental institutions fail, and brings pressure to bear on making things right.

Last year, 21CF made a grant to ColorLines magazine to support a special issue on Gulf Coast recovery and disaster preparedness in communities of color. To help strengthen local organizations in their civic engagement efforts, we co-sponsored (with the Ms. Foundation for Women and Oxfam America) a media capacity-building training with local Gulf Coast grantees. In 2007, 21CF will allocate resources specifically to support a media specialist to be shared by multiple local organizations along the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coast. More broadly, we will find ways to support getting our stories heard in the Black media and beyond.

Legal representation – We believe in providing the legal resources to support national and local organizations in their efforts to stop governmental or business decisions that work against fair and inclusive rebuilding. There is a system in place to protect the rights of the citizenry, but we must have the proper tools to be able to use it effectively.

Soon after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast, the Advancement Project partnered with local organizations in New Orleans to stop the bulldozing of people’s homes and to encourage a well thought out and inclusive approach to the demolition and rebuilding process.