October 26, 2007 -- Washington DC -- A diverse group of some 40 community leaders from four states in the Gulf Coast region will be in Washington DC this week to meet with several senators and congresspersons and to deliver a message to the nation's political leaders that two years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, thousands of people continue to suffer from the consequences of the storm s and they continue to wait for Washington and state leaders to keep their promises.

The Gulf Coast delegation of grassroots organizations from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas will demand that the Senate move swiftly to pass the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act and supplemental thereby releasing the flow of billions of dollars dedicated to the region's recovery from the storms of 2005.

"We are here to inform our political leaders with one regional voice and to advocate for an equitable, speedy, just and inclusive recovery in the Gulf Coast", said Ashley Shelton, Director of Policy and Interim Chief Operating Officer at the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation. These Gulf Coast regional advocates have come together to launch an "Equity and Inclusion Campaign”, a multi-state, coordinated legislative and public messaging campaign designed to influence federal policy.

“The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation hopes that by placing our work within a shared frame we can realize an equitable and inclusive recovery. The legislative days being held this week are just one of many opportunities to bring the region together to speak with one voice," said Shelton.

“The campaign is working to develop a coordinated, comprehensive set of short and long term strategies that include calling on all the presidential candidates from both parties to publicly commit to making Gulf Coast recovery a top priority in their domestic policy agendas”. More than 35,000 families throughout the region continue to live in cramped FEMA trailers. Youth unemployment is on the rise as well as crime and mental illnesses caused by stress, deep depression, despair and a sense of hopelessness.

"The strength and patience of Alabama's Katrina victims is remarkable," said Alabama Arise organizer Zack Carter. "Most of us can't imagine what its like week-to-week, month-to-month and now year-to-year living in a FEMA trailer. Knowing that the state hasn't taken an accurate measure of damages adds insult to injury."

The 13 Alabamians who are part of the campaign's delegation plan to attend a Senate Banking Committee hearing on the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act, S. 1668 and they are scheduled to meet with Sen. Richard Shelby, the committee's ranking Republican, before the hearing to urge his support for the bill and an amendment to add Alabama funding.

James Bui, an organizer for the National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies (NAVASA), and other Vietnamese-American advocates from Biloxi, MS and East New Orleans, LA are planning to tell the Senators and congresspersons to invest sufficient resources in the recovery of their communities and in the region as a whole.

While members of the multicultural delegation intend to raise issues and concerns that are specific to their communities, they are of one voice in calling on Congress to support their civic efforts to ensure accountability and transparency in the spending decisions made by state and local officials.

While in Washington, the Equity and Inclusion Campaign delegation intends to participate in the upcoming Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Asian-Pacific Caucus activities. They will urge these three caucuses to support legislative proposals that meet the needs of the Gulf Coast in housing, coastal protection, health care/mental health, economic development and the protection of voting rights, immigrant workers rights and civil rights.

The Equity and Inclusion campaign is an independent and non-partisan movement of citizens and committed organizations calling for a full and just recovery for Gulf Coast communities destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Media Contact:
Don Rojas
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