DURHAM, North Carolina - August 23 - As the nation approaches the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, rebuilding in the Gulf Coast continues at a glacial pace – and the region won’t be able to come back unless national leaders confront “fundamental barriers” to renewal.

That’s the finding of “One Year After Katrina,” a report released today by the non-profit Institute for Southern Studies in Durham, N.C. The report’s authors and key leaders from New Orleans and the Mississippi coast will discuss the report in a media briefing today at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

“Despite promises from national leaders to ‘do what it takes’ to rebuild the Gulf, many in the region have been left to fend for themselves– with tragic results,” says Chris Kromm, co-author of the report and director of the Institute. “Without a bold, national commitment, the Gulf and its people won’t come back.”

The most comprehensive report to date on the status of the Gulf Coast, the 100-page report features over 250 statistical indicators, as well as over 45 status reports, investigations, and community profiles in 13 key areas, including:

* Demographics and the Displaced
* Infrastructure
* Health Care and Mental Health
* The Environment
* Economy and Jobs
* Contracting and Corporations
* Arts and Culture
* Housing and Shelter
* International Human Rights

WHAT: Media Briefing for “One Year after Katrina,” most comprehensive report to date documenting the state of the Gulf Coast on one-year anniversary

WHEN: TODAY, Wednesday, August 23, 11 a.m. Eastern Time

WHO: Report researchers and Gulf Coast leaders, including:
* Chris Kromm, Executive Director, Institute for Southern Studies
* Aesha Rasheed, New Orleans Network; education expert
* Prof. Bill Quigley, New Orleans University Poverty Law Clinic
* Victoria Cintra, Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance

TO ACCESS CALL: Dial 1-800-369-1540; pass code is 364440#

For more information:
Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch

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