In August and September 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the Gulf Coast region. St. Bernard Parish, a community adjacent to New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward, was inundated with floodwaters averaging 6 to 20 feet in depth for two to four weeks. One hundred percent of the Parish’s 27,000 homes were rendered officially uninhabitable. Families in St. Bernard Parish lost everything: houses were flooded; possessions were destroyed; tools and methods for livelihoods were ruined. More than 200 residents of the Parish lost their lives as a result of the hurricanes.

Before Katrina in St. Bernard Parish

• Population was 67,000 and the Parish had 27,000 homes and 14,000 businesses
• Unemployment rate was 4%
• Home ownership rate was greater than 70%
• Median family income was $36K
• Many residents worked as fishermen, in the trades, and at refineries

Tracking Recovery in St. Bernard Parish
According to the April 2008 New Orleans Index, a report published regularly by the Brookings Institute to track post-storm recovery, indicates that St. Bernard Parish is beginning to show real signs of progress:

• Approximately 33,000 residents have returned to St. Bernard Parish or half of the pre-storm population
• 42% of pre-storm households receive mail (about half of these residents live in FEMA trailers or elsewhere and the other are living in their rebuilt homes)
• 4229 students are enrolled in the public schools or about half of the pre-storm number
• Approximately 50% of residents in St. Bernard Parish have received their Road Home funds

Still Work to Be Done
Although much has been accomplished, there is still much to be done. Beginning May 1st, FEMA will begin removing its trailers from the Greater New Orleans are, leaving hundeds of families instantly homeless.

• 1,000 families still displaced in St. Bernard
• 13,000 families still displaced in New Orleans
• 75% of homeowners did not receive sufficient funds to rebuild their home

Families are determined to rebuild their lives; however their success is hampered by myriad barriers. Families have not received adequate reimbursements from their insurance companies or the government’s Road Home Program. Many families are split up with members living across Louisiana or in other states.  There is limited affordable rental property or temporary housing in the Parish and FEMA trailers will soon be taken away.