Statement on the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
In acknowledgement of the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, BCLC Executive Director Stephen Jordan said the following:
“For the past five years, the Gulf Coast, and by extension, the entire United States, has been laboring to get out from under the shadow of Katrina. The storm marked a turning point in the way the country views disaster response. The business community stepped up in an unprecedented way.
“Corporate citizens contributed well over $1.5 billion to support the region’s recovery, investing in everything from schools and hospitals to cultural improvements and environmental remediation. We have seen signs of vast progress.
“The responses to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike were dramatically different, and Louisiana was actually one of the states least affected by last year’s economic hard times. However, as the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill still linger, we know that much more needs to be done to continue to promote the sustainable development of the region.
“This is why BCLC and the U.S. Chamber have joined together with local chambers throughout the region to promote investment in environmental R&D and exploration technology, job creation and small business capacity building, and other strategies to ensure that what happened after Katrina never happens again with such devastating impact. The fact that disasters happen won’t change, but our ability to cope with them can.







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