Hurricane Katrina Response

Dear Friends of IRD-US,

Those affected by Hurricane Katrina still need our help in order to rebuild their lives and communities. The bricks and mortar of rehabilitating, or rebuilding houses and infrastructure, represents only the physical aspect of restoring communities. While this is one of the preliminary steps necessary for community restoration, it is merely one step. Helping people rebuild their lives, their relationships, and their sense of self-sufficiency, is equally as important to their long-term recovery and that of their communities as their physical needs. It is the human side of recovery that continues to be one of the greatest needs for thousands of Katrina survivors.

Ten months after the largest natural disaster in the history of the United States hit the Gulf Coast region it is still painfully evident that mental health concerns and emotional support are being insufficiently addressed.  The Gulf Coast Community Service Center (GCCSC) is committed to addressing these human needs through its ongoing case management and community mobilization efforts.

When Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005 it became the most destructive and costly natural disaster in the history of the United States. Along the states of the Gulf Coast region, including Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, two thousand deaths were attributed to the storm and as many as two million people were displaced from their homes. A humanitarian crisis of this magnitude has not been seen in the U.S. since the Great Depression.  The poorest and most vulnerable populations along the Gulf Coast were disproportionately located in areas hardest hit by flooding and other devastating after-effects of Katrina. Already plagued with social and economic inequities, these exposed populations now require long-term assistance in order to regain self-sufficiency. Although the storm did not spare the rich, those with the financial reserves and accompanying economic and political abilities have been able to cope with and largely overcome the negative impacts of the storm. This has not been true for the poor and politically marginalized who literally “lost everything.” The Gulf Coast Community Service Center is fully committed to working with this devastated population and adhering to the mantra “Build Back Better.”  We believe that this tragedy is now a valuable opportunity to improve conditions for community residents beyond the level that existed before the hurricane.

In response to the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina, International Relief and Development-US (IRD-US), immediately sent a team of experts to the Gulfport/Biloxi, MS area. Based on their needs assessment, IRD-US opened the Gulf Coast Community Service Center (GCCSC) to the public in November, 2005. The center provides individualized case-management services, as well as community education and outreach. The center is located in West Gulfport; nonetheless, the center has been and will continue to serve the entire Gulf Coast , representing most of the Coastal cities as well as the three Coastal counties.

Warmest Regards,

Arthur B. Keys, Jr.
President & CEO