Blueprint For Gulf Renewal (2007)

Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck and floodwaters devastated New Orleans, President Bush declared our country's commitment to a full recovery in the Gulf Coast. "Throughout the area hit by the hurricane, we will do what it takes, we will stay as long as it takes, to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives," he promised.

Yet two years after the storms, much of the Gulf Coast and its people still live in devastation. In preparing Blueprint for Gulf Renewal, the Institute analyzed reams of government reports, media coverage and statistical indicators. We also interviewed 40 community leaders, from New Orleans to Biloxi, Mississippi, about the challenges they face, and their message to the nation. The statistics and the voices of Gulf Coast leaders tell the same story: The Katrina recovery is failing. As of mid- August, 60,000 people are still living in "temporary" FEMA trailers because of hold-ups on aid programs and insurance. Schools and hospitals are shuttered, good jobs are scarce and daily threats to health and wellbeing aren't addressed. Over 60 percent of those still displaced across the country say they want to come home, but can't—mostly because they can't afford to. Thao Vu of Boat People SOS in Biloxi, Miss., speaks for many when she says, "We are very far from recovery."

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