Hurricane Katrina, 10 years Later: Reflecting on Then and Now
Gulf Coast residents knew it was coming, and they knew it would be bad – but few probably imagined just how devastating it would be.
Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, flooding 80 percent of New Orleans, obliterating entire towns in Mississippi, killing more than 1,500 people and causing billions in damages (Time; Washington Post). The rest of the nation could only watch the suffering in horror.
“Ten years later, it is not exactly right to say that New Orleans is back. The city did not return, not as it was” (New York Times). Indeed, New Orleans is much changed, and continues to face challenges. Yet at the same time, it also has major new medical facilities, a revamped school system, millions of dollars of new construction or renovated properties, and has become known as an entrepreneurial hot spot.
It was in response to Hurricane Katrina that IEDC – with funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration – began recruiting and sending economic development professionals to the Gulf Coast region to assist with economic recovery. IEDC is thankful for the more than 150 people who volunteered over 850 hours – some for weeks and even months – to help New Orleans and other communities in the region begin to recover.
A great body of knowledge on disaster economic preparedness and recovery came from that experience and from subsequent recovery work that IEDC has conducted with funding from EDA. That knowledge can be found throughout this website in multiple pages with a sampling found in the following resources:
Free Publications
- Leadership in a Time of Crisis: A Toolkit for Economic Recovery and Resiliency
- Recreating Destinations: Rebuilding the Tourism Industry after Disaster
- Case Studies in Small Business Finance Following a Disaster
- Case Studies in Addressing Neighborhood Vacancy and Blight
- Guide on Engaging Small Businesses in Disaster Preparedness
- Federal Disaster Recovery Funding: Minimizing Roadblocks to Maximize Resources
- Detailed presentation on the history of IEDC’s disaster preparedness and economic recovery work.
View other publications, technical assistance reports, and presentations here.
Free Webinars
- Financing Critical Infrastructure and Redevelopment Projects Following a Major Disaster
- Preparing for the Unexpected: Is Your Organization Ready?
- Developing a Post-Disaster Economic Recovery Plan
- Prioritizing Economic Recovery Actions Following a Major Disaster
- Transitioning Skills to New Market Realities – Developing Workforce Training Programs in Disaster-Impacted Communities
- How to Successfully Collaborate with Federal Partners in Disaster Recovery
- Building Organizational Capacity for Disaster Recovery in Small Communities and Rural Places
- Creating Successful Partnerships with the Private Sector
View other archived webinars and upcoming webinars here.
Other Webpages of Interest
- Resources for Disaster Preparedness
- Resources for Economic Recovery
- Rebuilding the Fisheries Industry
- Gulf Coast Business Reinvestment Forum
- Six Priorities for Short-term Economic Recovery After a Disaster