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With Hurricane Gustav apparently moving toward New Orleans, please keep all GulfCoast residents in your thoughts over the next few days. You can follow the progress of Gustav at the National Hurricane Center.
KATRINA HOUSING CRISIS STILL HAMPERS GULF COAST RECOVERY
Three years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita battered the homes of hundreds of thousands of Louisianans, too many residents are still unable to afford to rebuild their homes or find an affordable place to rent, according to the new housing report by PolicyLink.
The report, A Long Way Home: The State of Housing Recovery in Louisiana 2008, analyzes the three major federally funded housing recovery programs – the Road Home (for homeowners) and the small rental repair and large rental programs. Together, these programs allocate nearly $12 billion in federal recovery funds to restore housing in Louisiana.
Some key findings:
Homeowners: In New Orleans, 4 of every 5 Road Home recipients rebuilding their homes did not get enough money to cover their repairs. Statewide, more than 2 of every 3 face the same predicament. Statewide, the average Road Home applicant fell more than $35,000 short of the money they need to rebuild their home. The shortfall hit highly flooded, historically African-American communities particularly hard.
Rental Housing: Renters still face huge hurdles—only 2 in 5 damaged affordable rental units statewide will be repaired or replaced with recovery assistance. In the New Orleans metro region, it’s an even more dismal rate of 1 in 3. The national credit crunch and personal financial vulnerability keeps many mom-and-pop landlords from being able to rebuild through the small rental repair program. Meant to restore more than 10,000 rental homes, the program has completed only 82.
Citing a number of other dire housing statistics and featuring a broad array of maps, A Long Way Home also makes federal and state policy recommendations to ensure an equitable recovery for Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.
UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE: AN EQUITABLE FRAMEWORK
When the hurricanes hit in 2005, more than 1,500 people died in New Orleans alone. There is no doubt that better disaster management practices will be needed to respond to the impacts of climate change, including increased flooding, drought, wildfires, and stronger hurricanes. The destruction wrought by these storms reveals how the interaction of forces—environmental degradation, climate change, and financial vulnerability—puts low-income communities of color at greatest risk.
As the world grapples with the effects of global warming, the need to understand the embedded issues associated with these complex ecological transformations becomes clear. Understanding Climate Change: An Equitable Framework (pdf) contributes to a deeper understanding of the issues, and considers the equity impact and implications associated with global warming.
TROUBLE THE WATER: A TOOL FOR ACTION
Trouble the Water tells the story of a young New Orleans' couple—trapped by the deadly floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina—who courageously survive the storm and its calamitous aftermath. It chronicles their flight from home and their quest to rebuild their lives and Lower Ninth Ward community.
The film is a powerful story of community fortitude in the face of adversity, and a look into one of the most defining moments in our recent history.
Trouble the Water is also an advocacy tool. It is a means to keep the issues of race and poverty on the national agenda.
There are a number of action steps to get the word out about the film and the issues it raises. Download the Take Action Now brochure for details.
PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY IN DISASTER RECOVERY MANAGEMENT: THE NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND
In response to calls by Gulf Coast residents and advocates for greater transparency in the allocation of disaster relief funding, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) requested public records relating to the administration of the $16.7 billion disaster recovery program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD, which directs Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds appropriated by Congress to storm-affected states, is the main funding vehicle for disaster relief, long-term recovery, and rebuilding expenses in those areas most affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
CDBG funds are also the main source of funding for Louisiana's Road Home program—the largest single housing recovery program in U.S. history—designed to provide compensation to Louisiana homeowners affected by the 2005 hurricanes. Transparent administration of this major federal program is critical to the public’s ability to evaluate whether the program is being administered in compliance with federal law.
The fund and its partners sought to obtain data through public records requests to HUD and relevant agencies in Louisiana and Mississippi. When state agencies provided insufficient responses and when HUD failed to respond at all, the following suit was filed: NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As a result of this successful litigation, LDF obtained tens of thousands of pages of information regarding disaster recovery spending. The documents will be made available to advocates through a searchable online database, to be launched in September 2008 on LDF’s website at www.naacpldf.org.
Three years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita battered the homes of hundreds of thousands of Louisianans, too many residents are still unable to afford to rebuild their homes or find an affordable place to rent, according to the new housing report by PolicyLink.
When the hurricanes hit in 2005, more than 1,500 people died in New Orleans alone. There is no doubt that better disaster management practices will be needed to respond to the impacts of climate change, including increased flooding, drought, wildfires, and stronger hurricanes. The destruction wrought by these storms reveals how the interaction of forces—environmental degradation, climate change, and financial vulnerability—puts low-income communities of color at greatest risk.
