Hurricane Katrina: Two Years Later

Today marks the two-year anniversary of New Orleans' levees breaking under the massive influx of flood waters brought on by Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane, followed by Hurricane Rita just weeks later, caused massive devastation to the lives of residents not only in Louisiana, but also in Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. The two hurricanes also severely impacted the local health systems that needed to respond to their communities.

Over these two years, Direct Relief has committed its efforts to seeing all affected areas in the Gulf make a full recovery, and to ensure that they are prepared should disaster strike once again.

Through our strong ties with statewide health center organizations including the Texas Association of Community Health Centers, the Lone Star Association of Charitable Clinics, the Louisiana Primary Care Association, the Louisiana Free Clinic Association, and the Mississippi Primary Health Care Association, we continue to support the clinics of those states with medical resources. Read a CNN story about one of Direct Relief's partners in New Orleans, the Common Ground Health Clinic, and about the recovery of the health system in general.

All told, we have distributed to them $47 million in aid, including $4.6 million in targeted cash grants to local health care facilities and organizations to help them repair infrastructure, hire additional staff, and serve more patients.

Over the past two years, we have become a licensed nonprofit pharmacy in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and nine other states so that we can expand our support for medically underserved people not only in the areas affected by the hurricanes, but all over the country.

We were appointed to the Texas Health Commissioner’s “Blue Ribbon Task Force” on emergency response based on our extensive efforts and to help prepare for future emergencies, including the development of a recommended medication list for the first 72 hours of a disaster to reduce the strain on the hospital systems.

This past Sunday in Dallas, Direct Relief was presented a first-ever special award from the National Association of Community Health Centers for our extensive partnership with the frontline health clinics in the Gulf in the aftermath of the hurricanes, which has expanded to include clinics nationwide.

Lastly, Direct Relief has focused on proactive measures of support, including the placement of 16 hurricane pre-positioning modules based on the list developed by the Texas Pharmaceutical Blue Ribbon Task Force, to assist health centers and clinics that are in locations most likely to receive patients in the event of another hurricane.

Since the hurricanes, Direct Relief has absorbed all administrative costs and overhead expenses to ensure that designated contributions are directed entirely to their intended purpose of serving people affected.

Direct Cash Investment for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Partners