Hurricane Katrina

In conjunction with the second anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Microsoft has teamed up with the state of Louisiana and Louisiana Small Business Development Center to provide small businesses affected by the storms payment assistance for Microsoft software.

State and Federal Officials Slow to Move on Post-Katrina Environmental Clean-Up

NEW YORK (August 27th, 2007) – More than thirty percent of New Orleans schoolyards tested two years after Hurricane Katrina are contaminated with arsenic in amounts two- to three times the levels requiring cleanup under both state and federal law, according to findings released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). On first learning the results in June, NRDC immediately informed both the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) and the U.S.    » read more »

August 26, 2007 -- NEW ORLEANS, LA -- During a visit to New Orleans today, U.S. Senator Barack Obama announced his plan to rebuild the Gulf Coast, and ensure that such catastrophic failures in emergency response never happen again.    » read more »

Thursday, August 23, 2007 -- ABC News will mark the 2nd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with a comprehensive series - "Katrina: Where Things Stand" - airing across ABC News broadcasts and platforms. The series begins Sunday, August 26 and will include "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts' return to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, investigative reports from Senior Law & Justice Correspondent Jim Avila, and reporting from "World News Sunday" anchor Dan Harris and correspondent Steve Osunsami in New Orleans.    » read more »

23 August 2007 -- Nearly two years have passed since Hurricane Katrina devastated swathes of the U.S. Gulf Coast, including the vibrant city of New Orleans. Since then, some who fled the region have returned, while others have chosen to start anew elsewhere. Among those who elected not to go back is a tight-knit Vietnamese-American family that had been a fixture of the New Orleans restaurant scene. Malcolm Brown reports on the Cao family's attempts to rebuild a business, far from the city they know.    » read more »

August 18, 2007 -- SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that Noah’s Wish, a nonprofit organization founded to help animals harmed by natural disaster, has transferred $4 million in charitable assets to the Department of Justice, to be used for the benefit of the animal victims of Hurricane Katrina. This action follows a state investigation which found that contributions raised by Noah’s Wish for that purpose were improperly classified and some of those contributions were used for purposes other than helping animals harmed by Hurricane Katrina.    » read more »

HUD establishes toll free number for FEMA assisted families 866-373-9509

August 15, 2007 -- WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that the transition of the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP) rental assistance program from FEMA to HUD will be as seamless as possible for the approximately 30,000 FEMA-assisted families displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita currently living in private rental units. HUD also announced it has established a toll free call center number, 1-866-373-9509, to answer questions about the transition.    » read more »

Aug 13, 2007 -- NEW ORLEANS - Standing today with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, US Reps William Jefferson and Charlie Melancon and other members of Congress visiting the Gulf Coast, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco thanked the 110th Congress for keeping its promise to the people of Louisiana.    » read more »

Jul 15, 2007 -- New Orleans, Louisiana – Today, Senator John Edwards will visit New Orleans and take a walking tour of the Lower Ninth Ward, where he will announce his three-point plan to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Edwards is in New Orleans to kick off his three-day, eight-state "Road to One America" tour to shine a bright spotlight on the issue of poverty in America.

"We are not the country of the Superdome in New Orleans after Katrina," said Edwards. "We can do better. We have a moral responsibility to get New Orleans back on its feet."    » read more »

July 19, 2007 -- On Thursday, July 19, the House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing investigating formaldehyde levels in FEMA trailers provided for victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes and FEMA’s response to these reports. The Committee will hear from current residents occupying FEMA trailers, experts who are familiar with the health impact of formaldehyde, and from FEMA Administrator Paulison.    » read more »

June 25, 2007 -- NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Building better, stronger and safer is the key line of attack Louisiana residents are advised to consider when rebuilding or mitigating their properties. With disaster resistance in mind, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed a Mitigation Model House to showcase advanced building techniques.    » read more »

Jun 15, 2007 -- BATON ROUGE - The following is a letter of support for Louisiana's recovery efforts, especially full funding for the Road Home shortfall, from the Oregon Governor Theodore Kulongoski and Oregon State Treasurer Randall Edwards to Oregon Congressional Members.

Dear Congressman Blumenauer:

As Oregon State Treasurer and Governor, we were participants in the Oregon Flight of Friendship to New Orleans in April. This Flight of Friendship that Mercy Corps and so many others organized was in the best tradition of Oregonians offering a helping hand to others in need.    » read more »

June 12, 2007 -- NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Scientists predict that 17 named storms and five major hurricanes will develop in the warm waters of the Atlantic and Caribbean this year. With hurricane season already underway, having a family disaster plan should be a top priority with Louisianans across the state, especially those who occupy the more than 48,000 travel trailers or mobile homes provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).    » read more »

June 4, 2007 -- The U.S. Army should change the way it plans for domestic emergencies — both natural disasters and terrorist attacks — to better support state and local first responders, according to a RAND Corporation report issued today.

Studying lessons offered by the response to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, RAND researchers recommend the Army create 10 regional task forces in the National Guard to focus on preparing for and responding quickly to future domestic emergencies.    » read more »

Leaders Urge The Senate to Approve Funding for the Katrina Zone

CHICAGO (June 3, 2007) – Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., president and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, announced today that he will meet with Senators from Louisiana and the Senators running for the U.S. presidency to get their position on federal funding for the Katrina Zone.    » read more »