Katrina 6 Months Later: Activists Discuss Grassroots Disaster Relief, Housing Evictions...

Democrats have renewed calls for an independent investigation into the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina following the release of new video showing the Bush administration was warned of a catastrophe. On Wednesday, the Associated Press released confidential video footage of President Bush’s final briefing before Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. The President was given dire warnings the storm could breach levees and threaten the lives of residents of New Orleans. Yet days later, President Bush said the breach of the levees hadn’t been anticipated.

The news comes six months after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast in what many call the worst natural disaster in US history. The storm displaced some 770,000 residents and destroyed over 300,000 homes. Nearly 2,000 people are reportedly still missing in Louisiana alone, at least 130 of whom are children. In the city of New Orleans, whole neighborhoods remain obliterated. In the city’s hardest-hit areas, such as the Ninth Ward, there is still no power or running water.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, hurricane evacuees in nearly 3,000 hotel rooms nationwide were faced with a dreaded choice: either remain in their hotel and pay the bill with their own money or other federal assistance, or check out and find a new place to live. It was the last day FEMA directly paid hotel bills for many evacuees outside Louisiana and Mississippi. Storm survivors in about 7,400 hotel rooms in those states have been granted another extension through at least March 15.

* Jordan Flaherty, an organizer with the New Orleans Network. He is a longtime activist and editor of Left Turn magazine. Jordan was in New Orleans when the hurricane hit in August. He returned to the city soon after being evacuated to help with relief efforts and to report on what was happening on the streets, particularly to the poor, black communities that were most effected by the hurricane.
* Kevin Powell, long-time activist, journalist, and hip-hop historian. Powell traveled to New Orleans the week after the Hurricane and is currently helping to launch Katrina On the Ground, and initiative which will bring student delegations from around the country to the Gulf Coast to work with local aid organizations.

Links:
http://leftturn.org
http://reconstructionwatch.org
http://neworleansnetwork.org
http://criticalresistance.org
http://communitylaborunited.net
http://commongroundrelief.org

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http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/03/151204