Hope by Design

Humboldt Community Learns Lessons From Katrina

When a disaster like hurricane Katrina strikes, communities are fractured physically and economically. How can we prepare for devastation and plan for rebuilding? What have we learned from the communities of the Gulf Coast and the organizations helping to rebuild them?

These questions formed the basis for a panel presentation and discussion at the Eureka Women’s Club on May 5th. Through a lively dialog with each other and the audience, the panelists offered specific ideas for communities like ours to use in shaping our own preparedness. . The panel members represented organizations that responded to hurricane Katrina at different stages in the relief and recovery efforts and included Kate Stohr from Architecture for Humanity, Bruce LeBel from World Shelters, Barbara Caldwell from the Humboldt Chapter of the Red Cross and Steven Elias from Towards Permanence.

Here’s a brief summary of important lessons learned:

Be prepared to help ourselves before getting help from outside. The aftermath of Katrina demonstrated that some outside help can actually be confusing, wasteful, counterproductive and time consuming. Especially in a remote area such as this county, we must not expect that help will come quickly or that the help will be appropriate for our needs.

Create and collect resources for recovery now rather than after a disaster.

• Kate Stohr suggested establishing a Community Loan Fund now similar to one in Biloxi to help residents fund rebuilding.
• Barbara Caldwell strongly advised citizens to prepare disaster kits and plans for their families and neighborhoods.
• Bruce LeBel emphasized the importance of having immediate shelter available to provide community gathering places. Individuals also benefit from having temporary and transitional shelter to remain on their property during rebuilding.
• Steven Elias spoke about use of alternative technologies for water, power, waste and communications to support individuals and communities and reuse of existing structures such as FEMA trailers.

Community involvement is the key to restoring a devastated area.

Outside agencies can better help communities with relief and recovery when local community members are actively involved. On the Gulf Coast, regeneration is happening more quickly where cooperative models for community rebuilding have been implemented.

World Shelters thanks all who made Hope By Design possible, including our sponsors: Winzler & Kelly, Times-Standard, Cascadia Center for Leadership, Planwest, and TailorPro.