Gulf Coast at a Glance

(Download this in pdf format)

Critical facts concerning the Gulf Coast’s recovery:

“Hurricane Katrina was the single most catastrophic natural disaster in U.S. history.”
(FEMA, By the Numbers One Year Later)

Physical Area Impacted by Katrina: 90,000 square miles, roughly the size of Great Britain

Number Displaced by Storm: Approximately 1.3 Million

Initial Estimates of Cost to Rebuild New Orleans: $200 billion*

*A widely cited underestimated value, the real cost is probably much higher.

Direct Economic Impact of Katrina in Louisiana Alone: $120 Billion

Federal Funds Allocated to Redeveloping the Gulf Coast: $107 Billion

Proportion of Funds Actually Spent: Less than Half ($44 Billion)

Proportion of Funds Allocated to Levy Reconstruction: 4% ($4.3 Billion)

Proportion Allocated to Mobile Homes: 7% ($7.5 Billion)

Funds Received by the City of New Orleans: $220 Million

One year Later: Number of People Living in Mobile Homes (113,000); Number of Displaced Who Have Not Returned Home Yet (289,000); School Buildings Open in New Orleans (29%); Homes with Electricity (60%); Unemployment Rate Among Evacuees (23%)

 

The National Alliance to Restore Opportunity to the Gulf Coast & Displaced Persons

The National Alliance to Restore Opportunity to the Gulf Coast & Displaced Persons is an inclusive national coalition of faith-based and social justice non-profit organizations.

We understand that the federal government has a unique and indispensable role to play in responding to the multidimensional social disaster in the Gulf Coast highlighted in the aftermaths of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We believe that the federal government must be accountable and provide the resources necessary to achieve the following goals:

• Rebuild the Gulf Region and ensure that the people of New Orleans never again face the devastation wrought by failed levees.
• Improve the lives and the destinies of Gulf Coast residents by significantly improving the conditions found in many neighborhoods prior to Katrina. For many of us, Hurricane Katrina exposed the inequities of race and class in the Gulf Coast and throughout the country.
• Provide opportunities and support for displaced Gulf Coast residents and for the communities that have so generously received them.
• Bring federal resources to the Region without redirecting funds away from programs that already serve people in need.

The Alliance's primary organizers include:

Center for Social Inclusion
Earth House Center
Equal Justice Society
Gamaliel Foundation
The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity
The African American Leadership Commission, Gamaliel Foundation
Opportunity Agenda
Policylink
Smart Growth America

Contact Info

Please contact Rev. Tony Johnson at tonyjohnson2@verison.net for information about the Season of Prayer and Call to Action event.

For information and/or comments on the website, please e-mail us at info@linkedfate.org.