STRENGTHENING DISASTER RECOVERY
FEMA and HUD co-chair working group for New Orleans area stakeholders

New Orleans’ recovery from Hurricane Katrina presents a learning opportunity in disaster recovery for the entire nation. This week, FEMA and HUD hosted one of five nation-wide conferences on disaster recovery at the University of New Orleans.

Mayor C. Ray Nagin joined Tony Russell, Acting Director of the Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office, and other state and federal representatives on a panel to welcome conference participants in this unprecedented community outreach in disaster recovery initiated by President Barrack Obama. In his presentation, Mayor Nagin urged participants to evaluate the long-term challenges of rebuilding a community, to look at ways to restructure federal and state guidelines regarding recovery funding, and to discuss ways to restart economic activity after a disaster.

This high-level, strategic initiative by the Administration will provide operational guidance for recovery organizations as well as make suggestions for future improvement. As part of the intensive stakeholder outreach effort, New Orleans stakeholders, in all levels of the community and government, as well as a wide array of private organizations and private non-profit organizations, had an opportunity to share their experiences, voice their opinions, and provide long-term solutions to develop a national disaster recovery plan.

The overall goal of strengthening disaster recovery is to ensure a more resilient Nation - one in which individuals, communities, and our economy can adapt to changing conditions as well as withstand and rapidly recover from disasters.