TALKING POINTS: Katrina Amnesia

Center for Social Inclusion’s June 2007 Report Card on New Orleans Recovery

Race and Rebuilding

• More than 105,000 city dwellers did not have a car during Hurricane Katrina evacuation. Nearly 2/3 of Black New Orleanians had no car to evacuate, compared to less than 10% of White New Orleanians.
• Almost half (44%) of those harmed by the broken levees were Black.
• Nearly 70% of poor people impacted by the storm were Black.
• In New Orleans, communities of color made up 80% of the population in flooded neighborhoods.

Center for Social Inclusion’s Fact Sheet, “Promoting Opportunity For All Americans: Why We Need Government Investment Now More Than Ever”

Housing

• The multifamily rental program, together with 18,000 rental homes slated to be repaired by the Small Owner Rental Program, will together replace only 2/5 of the 82,000 rental homes damaged or destroyed in Louisiana.

• Some rent increases have been as high as 200% in the most damaged parishes in Louisiana. With this and the increase in insurance and construction, displaced renter households will not see a homecoming in the near future.

Bringing Louisiana Renters Home: An Evaluation of the 2006-2007 Gulf Opportunity Zone Rental Housing Restoration Program (June 2007)

• Louisiana Justice Institute is working on “The Real Story: Road Home and Race”, a project that will examine which zip codes have received the majority of rebuilding funds, which zip codes are most likely to complain about awards, and how the State of Louisiana influenced the new footprint of New Orleans through the policies of the Road Home program

The Louisiana Justice Institute

• Lack of affordable housing is slowing the ability to recover in areas of Louisiana and hindering economic recovery/growth.

GulfGov Reports: A Year and a Half after Katrina and Rita, an Uneven Recovery

• According to a report of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the costs for housing, food and healthcare have shot up in the aftermath of Katrina. For example, a 2-bedroom home that used to rent for $601 is now $978.

Ms. Foundation for Women

• NAACP Legal Defense Fund Sues HUD for Katrina Housing Redevelopment Records: The LDF believes the multi-billion dollar housing redevelopment program established for Gulf States impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which was intended by Congress to help poor families return to homes and neighborhoods that were destroyed by hurricanes, is not in fact being used for this purpose.
• HUD failed to respond to Freedom of Information Act request for public records regarding HUD’s administration of the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program, which was allocated $16.7 billion by Congress.
• LDF wants to see the records to verify if HUD and the states receiving funds are complying with civil rights requirements imposed by the Fair Housing Act.

NAACP LDF

Healthcare and Mental Health

Before Katrina, healthcare for the poor and uninsured was provided through the state-run Charity Hospital System financed by Medicaid DSH dollars. After Katrina, the loss of health facilities was exacerbated by the closure of Charity Hospital, as well as the dispersion of healthcare workers and confusion and disrupted care for people.

The Louisiana Justice Institute

Gulf Coast Kids of every class affected by Katrina (USA Today by Marilyn Elias)

• Six months after Katrina/Rita hurricanes, only 3% of people contemplated suicide in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The figure is now at 8% two years later.
• 21% of the 800 individuals interviewed showed signs of PTSD, as compared to 16% in the 6 month post-Katrina survey.
• “It’s a community that’s in terrible distress. It’s not like other things where, once everything’s over, everything’s rebuilt.” – Karen Binder-Brynes, a New York psychologist specializing in PTSD

Survey: Post-Storm Mental Health Worsens (Washington Post 7/21/07 by Janet McConnaughey of the Associated Press)

Hurricane Katrina Community Advisory Group, Harvard Medical School’s Department of Health Care Policy

Schools

• Only half of New Orleans schools have re-opened nearly two years after the storm.
• New Orleans is now running two local education agencies with multi-layered governing bodies, leading to problems like lack of transportation, books, hot lunch, school facilities and qualified teachers.
• Louisiana Justice Institute’s initiatives:
• Know Your Rights Parent Workshop and Forum: Gave information to parents on such topics as Special Education and Homeless Student rights.
• New Orleans Public Schools Monitoring Line: Advised parents, students, and school employees of their rights and resources and logged complaints for action by school system officials.
• Disciplinary Advocacy Training: Seminar with other groups about school-to-prison pipeline. Parents and community groups must be better prepared to defend children against unnecessary and illegal suspensions and expulsions.
• Royal v. Orleans Parish School Board: Forced Orleans Parish Schools to comply with Louisiana law and provide free transportation services both to and from school for all students living one mile or more away from their school.

The Louisiana Justice Institute

Events

Tuesday, August 28, 2007: “A Day of Service” calling on groups in the Gulf Coast and across the nation to give a day of service to help rebuild New Orleans neighborhoods.

Melanie Campbell: “If you can’t make it to help rebuild a Gulf Coast community, volunteer where you are. There are ‘lower ninth wards’ across the country. ‘A Day of Service’ is to highlight community service and self empowerment.”

Wednesday, August 29, 2007: “A Day of Presence”, a massive demonstration that will be held on the second anniversary of Katrina intended to force the government to create a Marshall Plan to restore New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region.

Vincent Sylvain, Convener, LA Unity Coalition and Katrina survivor: “The people of the Gulf want immediate action from the government. But, the world needs to know that the folks in the Gulf Coast have not been sitting and waiting for the government. We’re all doing our part to clean up the city and could not do it without the help of the generous volunteers from across the country.”

Find Out More here

National Coalition for Black Civic Participation will be holding it’s 2007 “Celebrate Our Sisters of the Gulf Coast Wellness Journey” on August 28 and 29

Kirwan Institute on Race and Ethnicity hosts “Katrina Two Years Later: Have we Made Progress?” on August 29 at Ohio State University

Coastal Women for Change hosts Indian Tsunami Survivors on Monday, August 27, 2007, to compare notes about how the communities have fared in the wake of the two disasters