Report chronicles the state of the post-Katrina Gulf region

"Despite promises from national leaders to ‘do what it takes’ to rebuild the Gulf, the region’s recovery has been left to move at a snail’s pace – with tragic results. Without a revived national commitment, the Gulf and its people won’t come back.”

-- Chris Kromm, co-author of the report and director of the IInstitute of Southern Studies

The good folks at the Institute of Southern Studies (and home of the great blog Facing South) has published, as part of its Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch project, a stunning report, "One Year after Katrina." (PDF).

The 96-page report tells the tale of the glacial pace of "progress" in the region, and the people who are still suffering long after the storm has passed. The study highlights the signs of progress that are there and outlines the issues that have stalled the recovery of the Gulf. The Gulf region cannot come back without a helluva change in thinking by elected officials.

* Lack of HOUSING still keeps tens of thousands of Gulf residents from coming back home. Aid for homeowners in Louisiana and Mississippi was approved 10 months after the storms, and none has been disbursed. Little money has been earmarked for rebuilding rental units—none in Mississippi— and rents are skyrocketing. Eighty per cent of public housing in New Orleans is still closed, despite minimal storm damage, and Mississippi residents learned that three coastal facilities will be shut down soon.

* Problems continue to plague SCHOOLS in the region, making it difficult for many families to return. Only 57 of the 117 public schools in New Orleans before Katrina are scheduled to open in the 2006-2007 school year.

* CONTRACTING SCANDALS and other special-interest dealings continue to plague the recovery. The Institute report finds $136.7 million in corporate fraud in Katrina-related contracts, and government investigators have highlighted contracts worth $428.7 million that are troubling due to lack of oversight or misappropriation. Altogether, the Institute finds that corporate contracting abuse has cost taxpayers 50 times more than widely-publicized scandals involving individuals wrongfully collecting assistance.

* Threats to the ENVIRONMENT are exposing residents to a wide range of toxins and making many think twice about returning to the region. Federal officials also have yet to commit the resources to restore coastal wetlands—the region’s best defense against future storms.

"One Year after Katrina" report (pdf):
http://www.reconstructionwatch.org/images/One_Year_After.pdf
Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch:
www.reconstructionwatch.org
Institute for Southern Studies:
www.southernstudies.org