17 Aug Brookings Institution Press forum to feature Katrina recovery work

The 2005 storms that devastated the Gulf region will long be studied by policy analysts, historians, and social commentators for their size and impact. Since 2005, the world has witnessed new devastation with earthquakes in Haiti and China, floods in Pakistan, and the tsunami that wiped out huge portions of Japan and its landscape, with an overwhelming loss of life. Closer to home, tornados obliterated much of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Joplin, Missouri. Leaders worldwide continue to turn to the Gulf Coast in search of lessons learned.

A new book, Resilience and Opportunity: Lessons from the U.S. Gulf Coast after Katrina and Rita, from Brookings Institution Press presents the complex lessons of the 2005 storms and their aftermath. It offers the first comprehensive look at how the Gulf Coast communities are reemerging from the disasters with resilience and determination. Resilience and Opportunity, featuring many New Orleans researchers, documents the unprecedented civic revival that has breathed energy and accountability into reforms and has the potential to make the region more resilient to future catastrophes. It also assesses the state of current reforms in education and land use planning, as well as lesser publicized reforms such as in evacuation planning and criminal justice.

On August 29, the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center and University of New Orleans will host a forum to introduce this edited volume from the Brookings Institution Press and discuss its implications. Mississippi Center for Justice attorney Reilly Morse, who authored a chapter in the book, will participate in the forum. Click here to read more and to register!