The Katrina crisis: A national call for action

Today is the two-year anniversary of a horrifying episode in our country's history: the onslaught of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and their devastating aftermath for hundreds of thousands of people across the Gulf Coast.

Katrina was a big storm -- but the tragedies that followed were mostly the fault of humans. The shoddy levees that poured water into 80% of New Orleans. The failed FEMA and Red Cross response that subjected thousands to misery in the Convention Center and consigned hundreds to death. An evacuation plan that amounted to "start driving," when over 28% of the residents didn't have cars.

What's not talked about as much is the second Katrina crisis -- the horrifying situation that still faces thousands of people in the Gulf Coast. As we document in our new report, Blueprint for Gulf Renewal (pdf), over 60,000 people are still in "temporary" FEMA trailers because programs to help homeowners and renters haven't come through.

From New Orleans to Biloxi, Miss., one sees miles of shuttered schools, hospitals and businesses. Suicides and homelessness are skyrocketing. Since Katrina, the death rate has risen 47% in New Orleans alone.

Why is the Katrina recovery failing? All roads lead back to Washington. The President and Congress dithered for months before signing bills that would help get money to the region. And as we show in our report, less than 1/3 of that money is for the long-term recovery projects -- rebuilding schools, hospitals and homes -- that people need.

And to add insult to injury, our analysis shows that less than half of the money allocated has even been spent -- while thousands of families remain in limbo or are sliding backwards.

What money did go to the Gulf Coast often hasn't gone to the right places. While Washington was quick to get money to rebuild Naval shipyards and line the pockets of big contractors, money for homeowners moved at a glacial pace; 18 months after Katrina, only 600 homeowners in all of Louisiana had received checks.

Instead of a "trickle-down recovery" aimed at helping those with the most, a real Gulf Coast recovery could have injected billions into helping people get jobs, get back home and get on with their lives. For example, for only $3.9 billion -- half what we spend in Iraq each month -- Washington could have put 100,000 people to work in a Gulf Coast Civic Works program, paying hard-up workers $15 an hour to fix up their homes and neighborhoods.

We still have time. In our latest trip to the Gulf Coast, we interviewed over 40 community leaders from New Orleans to Biloxi, Miss.; from Baton Rouge to the Houma Nation in south Louisiana. They all said the same thing: they want to rebuild. They want their people to come home. And they want to create a more vibrant, safe and just future for the region.

But they can't do it alone. The people of the Gulf Coast need for people across the country to realize the Katrina crisis is EVERYBODY'S issue, and we have a national obligation to make things right.

In our report, we offer practical, common-sense solutions to the Gulf Coast crisis, based on our interviews with grassroots leaders in the region. They aren't rocket science, and they would remove countless barriers that have held up the Katrina recovery.

We have a responsibility to act. The people of the Gulf Coast need our help. And there's still time.