Titled “Katrina Recovery Summit II: Where are we now,” the summit will spotlight the success stories in recovery efforts and discuss options for completing recovery as a result of the impending March deadline to remove all temporary housing.
“In every city on the coast,” comments Executive Director of the Interfaith Disaster Task Force Roberta Avila, “there are elderly and low income families who have yet to rebuild or complete repairs due in part to a lack of funding to pay for the costly repairs. Some are facing the possibility of homelessness and others may be resigned to living in unfinished homes, when just four years ago they were settled in a home looking forward to living out their years in relative peace and harmony.”
Case managers, relief agencies, government officials and community leaders will convene for the Katrina Recovery Summit to celebrate progress made and seek solutions for the work that remains. The all day event will begin at 8:00 and dismiss at 4:30.
The Goals for Katrina Recovery Summit II are to
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Celebrate the progress of Long Term Recovery Committees and Housing Resource Centers in filling unmet needs.
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Put a “face” on the thousands of families that have yet to recover over 3 years post Katrina.
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Lift up the critical challenges faced by Housing Resource Centers and our community.
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Propose new solutions to address the needs of families that have not recovered from Katrina.
Acclaimed photographer H.C. Porter (work entitled "Innocent", left) will speak during the luncheon. She will be sharing from her work "Mississippi Backyards and Beyond," an intriguing look at South Mississippians in the early days following Hurricane Katrina through the eyes of her camera. Marion Wingo, regional FEMA director, Gerald Blessey, Mississippi Coast Housing Director, and other area leaders will present the most up-to-date information on the recovery.
Lutheran Disaster Response, OXFAM, The Beau Rivage Resort and Casino and Lutheran Episcopal Services of Mississippi are major sponsors of the event. Other sponsors include International Relief and Development (IRD), American Red Cross and Katrina Relief Agency (Waveland Citizen Fund Katrina Relief).
“The Summit is about helping people, citizens of the coast, our neighbors, our responsibility”, said Kathleen Johnson of Waveland Citizen Fund Katrina Relief.
For more information about the Katrina Recovery Summit II, contact John Hosey at (228) 432-9310 or email him at jmhosey@msidtf.org . To register go to www.msidtf.org and follow the link to the registration page.
The mission of IDTF is to facilitate communication, coordination and collaboration among organizations involved in disaster relief and recovery and to advocate for vulnerable populations.
