Gulf Coast Catastrophe

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Five Years After Katrina, the Gulf Is Showing All of Us the Way Forward
As August draws to a close, we face a somber, sobering anniversary. Five years ago, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The storm — and the horrifying ineptitude of the relief efforts before, during, and after — left the region devastated. Most of those who died or were abandoned to "sink or swim" were poor people, people of color, or both.

BISCO: Building Capacity, Voice, and Power in Southeastern Louisiana
In the southeastern Louisiana bayou parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne, BISCO (Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing) builds the voice and power of local residents to address the most pressing issues facing their communities.

The Alliance Institute: The Quest for Fairness and Equality Continues in the Gulf Region
Five years after Hurricane Katrina, one of the most striking problems in the recovery from the storm has been that states are exercising too much power and the federal government too little. This imbalance has had a terrible impact on poor communities.

Mary Queen of Viet Nam: Building a Green Future in the Gulf, from the Ground Up
After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans residents were scattered all over the country. Rebuilding our community was the most pressing — and most daunting — task facing Mary Queen of Viet Nam Community Development Corporation (MQVN CDC). We organized to help our congregation come home, and about 90% of the people who lived near the church returned.

Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Dillard University
Five years after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, much of our work at the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice has been focused on research, policy, community outreach and assistance, and education needs of the displaced minority population of New Orleans.

From Oil Spill to Oil Dump: The Dirty Secret of BP's Clean-Up
When oil was steadily gushing out of BP's broken oil pipeline into the Gulf of Mexico, we were all desperate to stop the flow and get the oil that had already spilled safely out of the water. Sadly, we paid too little attention to where that oil would go once clean-up workers removed it from the Gulf waters. Now we know: far too much of it is being dumped in communities of color.

Visiting the Gulf Coast, Part Two: United Houma Nation in the Bayou
In May, I flew down to New Orleans to help coordinate several days of meetings and video interviews related to the BP oil catastrophe. Green For All wanted to tell the stories of how the spill was affecting the communities of the Gulf Coast on the ground.

Gulf Coast Communities: Feeling the Economic Impact of the Oil Spill - Part One
Two weeks ago, I flew down to New Orleans to help coordinate several days of meetings and video interviews related to the BP oil catastrophe. Green For All wanted to tell the stories of how the spill was affecting the communities of the Gulf Coast on the ground.

Thirty days later and where are we?
One month ago today, the Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, tragically killing 11 men working on the BP oil rig and choking the Gulf with millions of gallons of oil - oil that is still pouring into the waters right now. Thirty days later and where are we?

Vietnamese Community Leads New Orleans Towards Clean New Industries
With a heavy base in the fishing industry, the local Vietnamese community has been one of the hardest hit. Now community leaders are determined to create quality, long-term green jobs to offset the economic costs of the oil spill.

Growing Opportunities
Finally back up on their two feet after Hurricane Katrina, people in New Orleans are threatened once again by the current oil spill catastrophe's triple whammy.

Unheard Voices from the Gulf Coast
Low-income communities and communities of color have the most to gain from a clean-energy future and the most to lose under the current dirty economy.

Finding Hope in Tragedy
In the face of the multiple calamities that have occurred in the lives of New Orleanians, innovative and successful models for community sustainability have emerged over the past few years.

Opportunity in Disaster
The recent oil spill in the Gulf Coast has added yet another challenge to the recovery in New Orleans, even though much progress has been made following the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina.

Gulf Seafood Workers on Edge
Mike Voisan, President of Motivatit Seafoods, and his staff are unsure of what the future holds. The ever-growing oil slick on the Gulf Coast has not yet reached their shores, but they know that catastrophe is coming.

"America the Beautiful" is Under Threat
A massive ecological and human disaster is unfurling in the Gulf Coast. An estimated five thousand barrels of crude oil steadily spew into the Gulf every day, threatening the lives, health, economy, and environment of an entire region. When will it stop?

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Photos from the Gulf

Tell Your Leaders

President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Reid, are you listening?
Get us off dirty energy and pass a strong climate-energy bill in 2010