Remembering Katrina: Four Years Later

The fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the levees is an opportunity to assess the progress of rebuilding efforts, and to remind the nation that the journey toward recovery for the region is far from over.

KatrinaMedia.org: A Retrospective

Four years ago, the Open Society Institute was one of the first foundations to respond to the crisis on the ground. Through one of its initiatives, the Katrina Media Fellowships, the Strategic Opportunities Fund enabled print and radio journalists, photographers, and documentary filmmakers to generate high-quality media coverage of the issues exposed by Katrina and its aftermath.

Katrina: An Unnatural Disaster brings together the efforts of more than three dozen fellows. Their stories and images aim to deepen public understanding of the government's long-term response to Katrina, failures of public policy, the misuse of public funds, the role of private contractors, the effectiveness of cleanup and rebuilding efforts, the psychological impact of the crisis on local residents, and lessons that should inform the handling of future disasters.

This award-winning multimedia project explores these themes as they relate to historically neglected groups such as the elderly, immigrants, the incarcerated, and low-income, rural, and undocumented communities, as well as communities of color. Together, the rich collection of work underscores the urgent need for continued media coverage of the injustices faced by residents of the Gulf Coast region. 

The Outlook Today

Despite ongoing rebuilding that continues to attract jobs, people, and investments to the region, major blight, insufficient affordable housing for low-income workers, and flood risks remain significant challenges. 

However, two important amendments to the New Orleans city charter were voted in by its citizens last November, laying the foundation for bold plans to create a sustainable city and region.

One measure gave the city's master plan teeth by calling for all zoning and land use requirements to conform, providing predictability, market confidence for development, and a more transparent and organized process for public participation. 

The second measure provided a dedicated revenue source to the newly created inspector general's office, granting it steady resources necessary for accountability in the wake of pervasive public mistrust, waste, and fraud.

Today, the Open Society Institute continues to support work in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region that promotes transparency and effective government oversight through independent watchdog organizations and media, so that residents may participate actively and equitably in the political, economic, and cultural life of their communities.

Earlier this year, the Strategic Opportunities Fund awarded a grant to the Greater New Orleans Foundation to jointly support a cadre of nonprofit organizations working to increase and promote governmental transparency and integrity in New Orleans and Louisiana, as well as the development, through the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, of an online model for an accountability process that uses reliable information systems to review policy performance measures.

Information on the region's recovery include the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center's report The New Orleans Index and a study, A Forgotten Crisis? by the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, which documents a steep decline in media coverage of the relationship between Gulf Coast poverty and the impact of Katrina.

Recognizing the central role of arts and culture in rebuilding New Orleans, the Strategic Opportunities Fund has also awarded grants to Ashe Cultural Arts Center, Sweet Home New Orleans, and Transforma, a project of the National Performance Network.  These organizations are critical to preserving and supporting the work of and advocacy for traditional and new forms of cultural expression in New Orleans.