February 8, 2008
Quick Changes Urged in Bid to Reform New Orleans Schools
In the latest in a series of reports on how education leaders are endeavoring to reform troubled urban schools, education correspondent John Merrow returns to New Orleans to check in on the city's efforts to repair its struggling school system.
-- NewsHour

November 23, 2007
Schools Chief in New Orleans Faces Tough Road to Rebuilding
In the next installment in a series of reports on reforming troubled school systems, John Merrow returns to New Orleans for an update on how the city's schools chief is faring in his attempts to enact change in a system still working to recover from Hurricane Katrina.
-- NewsHour

October 23, 2007
Heavy Rain Floods Parts of New Orleans
Heavy storms in New Orleans Monday dumped eight inches of rain and caused flooding as the city struggles to fully recover from the impact of Hurricane Katrina.
-- Online NewsHour

October 2, 2007
New Orleans School Chief Tackles Rebuilding Shattered System
In the second of two reports on efforts to improve education in urban public schools, education correspondent John Merrow explores the plans underway in New Orleans to create a new school system.
-- NewsHour

June 15, 2007
Engineer Outlines New Floodwall Designs in New Orleans
Slide Show: To better protect New Orleans, the Army Corps of Engineers used new techniques to build a stronger flood control system for the city inundated during Hurricane Katrina. One such effort focused on the Industrial Canal, which experienced two breaches during the 2005 floods. Col. Jeff Bedey of the Hurricane Protection Office explains the new floodwalls.
-- Online NewsHour

May 10, 2007
Racial Divide Persists in New Orleans' Katrina Recovery
More than a year after Hurricane Katrina inundated the city, New Orleans residents remain economically and psychologically affected by the storm, according to a survey released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
-- Online NewsHour

April 24, 2007
New Orleans Health Care System Still Recovering
Although New Orleans' new trauma center is considered an improvement over pre-Hurricane Katrina care, much of the city's health care system is still experiencing widespread problems. The NewsHour looks at the health system as a whole.
-- NewsHour

April 9, 2007
FEMA Trailer Contracts Highlight Waste in Katrina Recovery
After Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency paid private contractors to install and maintain trailers for hurricane victims, often with little oversight by the federal government. But as more trailers become vacant, the contractors have little or no incentive to haul them away or reduce costs, adding to complaints of inefficiency in the government's handling of hurricane cleanup.
-- NewsHour

March 20, 2007
Doctors Lend a Hand in Post-Katrina New Orleans
Almost 18 months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, thousands of its victims are still without health care. In the first of a two-part report, NewsHour health correspondent Susan Dentzer looks at how doctors are providing some temporary relief.
-- NewsHour

March 1, 2007
New Orleans Struggles to Revamp Public Education
Hurricane Katrina damaged more than 100 of New Orleans' 128 public schools and led to a state takeover of the district. As a result, schools, teachers and students have had to start from the beginning to improve the state of education.
-- NewsHour

February 26, 2007
Program to Help New Orleans Homeowners Moving Slowly
The Road Home program was granted $7.5 billion by the federal government to help New Orleans homeowners rebuild. But of the 109,000 families who have applied, only 1,300 homeowners have received any compensation. The NewsHour reports on the reconstruction process.
-- NewsHour

January 22, 2007
New Orleans Battles Deadly Crime Wave
Following a spate of shootings that have killed almost a person a day since the year began, New Orleans officials are enlisting the help of the civic organizations and the public to try to bring a sense of security back to the Big Easy.
-- NewsHour

December 21, 2006
Report Charges FEMA Wasted Funds After Hurricane Katrina
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is under fire for wasting taxpayers' money on illegitimate disaster aid claims in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, though the agency contends it had to streamline procedures to send aid quickly to those in need.
-- Online NewsHour

December 21, 2006
New Orleans Small Businesses Struggle Toward Recovery
A report on how the small business community of New Orleans is faring 16 months after Hurricane Katrina.
-- NewsHour

December 12, 2006
New Orleans Crime Wave Taxes Louisiana's Police, National Guard
In the midst of trying to rebuild, New Orleans faces a murder rate that exceeds that of Compton, Calif., in the latest FBI statistics. Officials have relied on the state's National Guard to help police, but at some point the troops will need to leave the city.
-- NewsHour

November 23, 2006
New Orleans Homeowners Seek Federal Aid to Rebuild
Thousands of homeowners in New Orleans have applied for federal funding to rebuild under a program called "The Road Home," but only a few dozen have received help. A correspondent visited three families in New Orleans to see how they are faring.
-- NewsHour

September 25, 2006
Football Returns to Louisiana Superdome
Monday night's kickoff between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints will mark the first regular season game at the Louisiana Superdome since Dec. 26, 2004 -- and the first game since Hurricane Katrina turned the stadium into a haven for people fleeing the floodwaters after the storm.
-- NewsHour

August 29, 2006
Questions Raised over Spending of Katrina Funds
Rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina in some coastal towns has been slow due in part to the slow distribution of aid from the federal and state levels. Paul Singer of the National Journal and Donald Powell, the federal coordinator for the Office of Gulf Coast Rebuilding, describe the hang-ups and successes of the recovery effort.
-- NewsHour

August 28, 2006
President Returns to Gulf Coast; Residents Work to Rebuild
President Bush traveled to parts of Mississippi Monday and continues on to Louisiana Tuesday to see places still working to rebuild from Hurricane Katrina. Ray Suarez sat down with residents and local leaders in New Orleans to get a sense of what they have been through and still must do to recover.
-- NewsHour

August 25, 2006
Reminders of Katrina Linger on Mississippi's Gulf Coast
The cities of Pass Christian, Waveland and Biloxi, Miss. sustained major damage when Hurricane Katrina struck one year ago and are still undergoing a slow recovery process.
-- NewsHour

August 24, 2006
New Orleans Still Recovering One Year After Katrina
A year after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans, residents find that despite promises of aid from local, state and federal governments, the city still lacks adequate medical care and basic services. NewsHour correspondent Betty Ann Bowser reports from three of the hardest hit neighborhoods of Gentilly, Uptown and the Lower Ninth Ward.
-- NewsHour

August 21, 2006
Reports Raise Concerns About Patient Euthanasia
Recent controversial reports said five elderly and terminally ill patients who were abandoned and proclaimed dead in a New Orleans hospital immediately after Hurricane Katrina were euthanized by the hospital staff.
-- NewsHour

July 27, 2006
Hurricane Worsens Public Housing Woes
After Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans last summer, the federal housing department said it would have to demolish 75 percent of the city's public housing. But many displaced residents are willing to move back to their former neighborhoods and make repairs themselves. Betty Ann Bowser provides a report.
-- NewsHour

June 26, 2006
Crime Increases in New Orleans
National Guard troops were sent to New Orleans following a spate of murders in the recovering city. NewsHour special correspondent Betty Ann Bowser provides a report.
-- NewsHour

June 20, 2006
National Guard Troops Ordered to Patrol New Orleans
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Monday she would send National Guard troops to New Orleans following a weekend of violence that left six people dead.
-- Online NewsHour

June 12, 2006
Costly Levee Repairs May Be Inadequate
In the first month of a new hurricane season, the Army Corps of Engineers has completed almost $800 million in repairs to the New Orleans levee system -- repairs some say still leave the battered city vulnerable.
-- NewsHour

June 7, 2006
Hurricane Katrina Displaced 400,000 Gulf Coast Residents, Report Says
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused more than 400,000 people to flee New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast region, according to Census Bureau figures released Wednesday.
-- Online NewsHour

June 2, 2006
Graduations Mark End to Eventful Year at New Orleans Schools
Throughout the last year, education correspondent John Merrow reports on what he has seen in New Orleans and elsewhere and then discusses his reporting with Ray Suarez.
-- NewsHour

May 25, 2006
New Orleans Targets Broken Criminal Justice System
The courthouse in New Orleans stands in disrepair and there hasn't been a criminal jury trial since Hurricane Katrina. NewsHour correspondent Betty Ann Bowser reports on the city's efforts to rebuild its justice system.
-- NewsHour

May 24, 2006
Evacuations Drills Pinpoint Problems
Local and federal authorities practiced evacuating residents out of New Orleans this week in preparation for the upcoming hurricane season or other disaster scenarios. NewsHour correspondent Tom Bearden provides a report.
-- NewsHour

May 22, 2006
New Orleans Mayor Nagin Wins Second Term
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin won re-election in a tight run-off race Saturday, and now faces the challenge of starting the massive rebuilding effort of the hurricane-battered city. Ray Suarez talks with sociology professor Silas Lee and political science professor Susan Howell about what comes next.
-- NewsHour

May 18, 2006
Nagin Faces Landrieu in Run-off Mayoral Election
Ray Suarez reports from New Orleans, where Mayor Ray Nagin is fighting for his political life in Saturday's election against Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, son of the city's last white mayor. Then, Margaret Warner speaks with Suarez for further analysis on the current situation in New Orleans.
-- NewsHour

May 17, 2006
Mississippi Works to Restructure Health Care Services
Residents of the rural Moss Point, Miss. have just a small clinic to cater to their medical needs after Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the area last year. NewsHour correspondent Tom Bearden reports on their rebuilding effort.
-- NewsHour

May 12, 2006
Single-family Home Sales Jump in New Orleans
Dial-up | Broadband: Residents around New Orleans are discovering they can buy homes in upscale parts of town at a fraction of the original cost, provided they are willing to fix up damages caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
-- Louisiana Public Broadcasting

May 9, 2006
Louisiana Homeowners Face Insurance Woes
Thousands of New Orleans residents are unable to get homeowners insurance and without it, they are unable to qualify for a mortgage. NewsHour correspondent Lee Hochberg of Oregon Public Television provides a report.
-- NewsHour

April 27, 2006
Senators Propose Eliminating FEMA, Creating New Agency
The senators who investigated the administration's performance during last year's Hurricane Katrina recommended the government dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency and create a new, stronger agency in its place.
-- Online NewsHour

April 21, 2006
Candidates Debate Future of Post-Katrina New Orleans in Mayoral Elections
Video: Nearly two dozen candidates are competing to oust New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin in a passion-filled election that has divided the damaged city along racial lines.
-- Louisiana Public Broadcasting

April 19, 2006
New Orleans Churches Start from Scratch After Hurricane
Following Hurricane Katrina, churches in New Orleans, like most structures, were caked in mud with little hope of returning to their former selves. Ray Suarez reports on the efforts of churches -- and their communities -- to renew themselves.
-- NewsHour

April 13, 2006
Government Issues New Orleans Rebuilding Rules
The federal government on Thursday issued terms for rebuilding thousands of homes and businesses in New Orleans, including raising structures up to 3 feet to qualify for flood insurance. J. Robert Hunter, former administrator of the National Flood Insurance Program; Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute; and Anthony Patton, a member of the bring back New Orleans commission discuss the guidelines.
-- NewsHour

April 11, 2006
Scattered New Orleans Residents Pose Challenge for Local Elections
New Orleans is preparing for a mayoral election. Candidates are contending with the changing demographics of a city in transition. Ray Suarez reports on a unique election season and the logistical challenges of mounting an election in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.
-- NewsHour

April 10, 2006
Hurricane Katrina Gives Birth to Poetry
One night a week in a small corner of New Orleans' French Quarter, local poets tell their stories of Hurricane Katrina. Jeffrey Brown reports on their stormy words.
-- NewsHour

Web Resource: 17 Poets is the site for the poets who read weekly at the Gold Mine Saloon

April 7, 2006
Louisiana Storm Victims Receive Aid to Repair Damaged Homes
Video: Congress appropriated a $6.2 billion grant and is considering $4.2 billion more to help Louisiana residents rebuild, repair or sell homes damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
-- Louisiana Public Broadcasting

April 7, 2006
Estimates of Louisiana Levee Repairs Continue to Rise
President Bush's coordinator for Gulf Coast recovery, Donald Powell, announced last week that the Army Corps of Engineers needs an additional $6 billion -- more than twice the amount Congress granted it -- to make Louisiana's levees strong enough to meet the standards of the federal flood insurance program.
-- NewsHour

April 6, 2006
Mississippi School District Leads Community Rebuilding Effort
The NewsHour's special correspondent on education John Merrow reports from Bay St. Louis, Miss. about how a school district is helping rebuild a community devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
-- NewsHour

Web Resource: Get more video profiles, podcasts and more from The Merrow Report

March 30, 2006
Helicopter Ride Shows Lasting Damage to Mississippi Coastline
Video: In a helicopter tour almost seven months after Hurricane Katrina, the wreckage along Mississippi's Gulf Coast looks similar to the view days after the storm struck, with the addition of blue tarp roofs, Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers and the occasional builiding project.
-- Mississippi Public Broadcasting

March 29, 2006
Students on Break Learn Life Lessons from Mississippi Recovery Effort
An organization called Hands on Network has brought students from a $35,000-per-year-tuition prep school in New Jersey to Biloxi, Miss. to help gut homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
-- NewsHour

March 27, 2006
Paper Chronicles New Orleans Recovery, Advocates for City's Survival
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, like so many other local institutions in New Orleans, the 169-year-old Times-Picayune has found itself tested in unprecedented ways. The paper now sees itself as having dual roles: to cover the news about the devastation and reconstruction, but also to help heal the city's soul and advocate on its behalf.
-- NewsHour

March 21, 2006
Search for Missing Continues After Katrina
Nearly seven months after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, 1,400 people are still missing. A report from Baton Rouge traces the continuing search for lost loved ones and the efforts to identify the dead bodies.
-- NewsHour

March 20, 2006
Gutted Mississippi Town Seeks Rebirth
Private grants and state funding have allowed the Mississippi Gulf Coast town of Pass Christian to recreate itself after Hurricane Katrina, but the officials must begin from scratch.
-- NewsHour

March 10, 2006
Louisiana Building Code Focuses on Preventing Storm Damage
Video: Last fall, Louisiana legislators approved a new statewide uniform residential building code to help prevent the widespread damage seen after Hurricane Katrina. "The State We're In" reports on the changes builders must make to comply with the new code and what impact these regulations will have on how well buildings weather the next storm.
-- Louisiana Public Broadcasting

March 9, 2006
Recovery Teams Forced to Leave New Orleans
Several recovery personnel and their dogs trained to find the bodies of Hurricane Katrina victims had to leave New Orleans after a dispute with the Federal Emergency Management Agency over their temporary housing.
-- NewsHour

March 8, 2006
Gulf Coast Industries Work to Recover
Domino Sugar, whose Louisiana refinery flooded when Hurricane Katrina hit, created a 200-unit trailer park for its workers and their families while the company rebuilt and tried to return to normal operations.
-- NewsHour

March 2, 2006
Houston Strives to Accommodate Hurricane Evacuees
More than six months after Hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf Coast, the residents of Houston continue to struggle with the continued presence of more than 150,000 people displaced by the storm.
-- NewsHour

February 27, 2006
Hospital Workers Make Due in New Orleans
Charity Hospital was the second-oldest continuously operating hospital in the United States until Katrina struck the Gulf Coast six months ago. Now, it operates from tents inside the New Orleans Convention Center. Susan Dentzer of the NewsHour's Health Unit reports on the city's struggling health care system.
-- NewsHour

February 23, 2006
Trailers Provide Temporary Housing for Mississippi Residents
Video: The Federal Emergency Management Agency installed 34,000 travel trailers in parks along the Mississippi coast for those misplaced by Hurricane Katrina. In an interview with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Governor Haley Barbour said these trailers are a solution but not the ideal answer to the region's housing problems.
-- Mississippi Public Broadcasting

February 23, 2006
White House Cites Major Failures in Hurricane Response
The White House issued a 228-page report Thursday that detailed widespread problems, including a lack of planning, discipline and leadership, that led to the failed federal government response to Hurricane Katrina.

Report: Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned (White House Web site)
-- Online NewsHour

February 16, 2006
Rebuilding of New Orleans Levees Sparks Engineering Debate
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues its work to rebuild the levees in New Orleans to pre-Hurricane Katrina levels before the storm season begins again in June. But some scientists are questioning whether the Corps is focusing on returning the levees to the same strength of those that failed.

Correspondent Betty Ann Bowser reports on the engineering and economic debate raging along the stretch of one levee known as "Mr. Go".
-- NewsHour

February 15, 2006
Lawmakers Criticize Homeland Security for Katrina Response
A House inquiry concluded that much of the suffering connected to Hurricane Katrina could have been avoided if the government had taken a more hands-on stance toward disaster preparedness.

Transcript: Kwame Holman reports on the Congressional investigation into the federal response to Hurricane Katrina.

Transcript: Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff acknowledged the government's missteps at a Senate hearing Wednesday and has promised to make changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
-- NewsHour

February 10, 2006
Former FEMA Chief Tells Senate He Alerted White House to Katrina
Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Republican Sen. Robert Bennett of Utah discuss recent testimony about the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina.

Transcript: NewsHour correspondent Kwame Holman reports on the Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing where Michael Brown, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, testified.
-- NewsHour

February 9, 2006
Families Weigh Whether to Return to New Orleans
Two NewsHour correspondents provide reports from New Orleans about starting over after Hurricane Katrina. In the first segment, Tom Bearden visits a New Orleans family struggling with the decision about whether to rebuild.

Then, Spencer Michels speaks with Michael White, a jazz musician profiled on the NewsHour in November who lost nearly everything.
-- NewsHour

February 8, 2006
New Orleans Works to Offer Health Care to City's Poor
The path back to a renewed New Orleans has required the reconstruction of the city's health infrastructure. Susan Dentzer reports from New Orleans about the city’s system after Hurricane Katrina and the effort to assist the thousands of residents who are poor, uninsured and chronically ill.
-- NewsHour

February 1, 2006
Report Finds Federal Leadership Lacking in Wake of Katrina
Congress-commissioned investigators faulted the Bush administration Wednesday for not designating a senior official to lead the overall federal response to Hurricane Katrina or establishing a clear chain of command.
-- Online NewsHour

January 26, 2006
Mississippi Charettes Bring Together Communities and Designers
Video: Planning teams met with Mississippi residents at intensive design sessions called charettes to collaborate on their vision for the future of Mississippi's coast after Hurricane Katrina.
-- Mississippi Public Broadcasting

January 25, 2006
White House Accused of Hindering Congressional Katrina Probe
Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the committee investigating the government's response to Hurricane Katrina accused the Bush administration Tuesday of slowing the inquiry by refusing to provide key documents and officials for questioning.
-- Online NewsHour

January 22, 2006
Gulf Coast Officials Meet to Discuss Rebuilding Homes and Businesses
Video: A three-day conference held at Tuskegee University looked at ways to apply smart planning and building techniques to help Gulf Coast communities brace for future hurricanes. "Alabama@Work" interviews guests at the conference and examines Alabama's hurricane recovery efforts in tourist destinations along the coast.
-- Alabama Public Television

January 17, 2006
Three Major Universities Reopen in New Orleans
Some four and a half months after Hurricane Katrina sparked devastating flooding throughout New Orleans, three of the city's major universities -- Tulane (pictured at right during the flooding), Xavier and Southern -- reopened Tuesday for the first time. The struggle to return these colleges to operation is the latest in the region's continuing effort to rebuild. Spencer Michels reports.
-- NewsHour

January 13, 2006
Court Orders Federal Government to Keep Paying for Hotel Rooms
A federal court has ordered the government to continue paying for thousands of hotel rooms for Katrina survivors. But the decision may hurt efforts to economically rebuild the storm-ravaged region by making conference planning and tourism that fueled many local businesses more difficult. NewsHour Correspondent Tom Bearden reports from New Orleans.
-- NewsHour

January 11, 2006
New Orleans Revitalization Plan Sparks Debate
A sweeping plan to rebuild New Orleans unveiled Wednesday has prompted some concerns that only low-income neighborhoods would be abandoned.
-- NewsHour

Update: New Orleans Plan Would Allow Low-lying Areas to Rebuild
-- Online NewsHour

December 19, 2005
Hurricane-Damaged New Orleans Schools Open Doors for First Time
Several high schools in New Orleans only recently reopened four months after Hurricane Katrina battered the region. Special correspondent for education John Merrow provides a report.
-- NewsHour

December 15, 2005
White House Vows to Build Levees Higher and Stronger
The U.S. government pledged to spend more than $3.1 billion to rebuild the New Orleans levee system that failed after Hurricane Katrina struck, flooding the city and destroying thousands of homes.
-- NewsHour

December 13, 2005
Judge Orders FEMA to Extend Hotel Stay Deadline
The Federal Emergency Management Agency must extend by one month its deadline for payment of hotel rooms for victims of Hurricane Katrina, a federal judge ruled Monday.
-- Online NewsHour

November 22, 2005
Louisiana Grapples with Budget Woes
The Louisiana Legislature ended a special session Tuesday meant to retool the budget based on losses in revenue from hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Ray Suarez discusses the financial drawback and other recovery efforts with Anthony Patten, president and founder of EBONetworks and member of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's commission to bring New Orleans back; William Hudnut, mayor of Chevy Chase, Md. and senior fellow at the Urban Land Institute; and Walter Isaacson, vice chairman of the Louisiana Recovery Authority established by Gov. Kathleen Blanco.
-- NewsHour

November 18, 2005
New Orleans Music Scene, Musicians Struggle to Recover
Many of the jazz musicians who helped shape the cultural scene of the Big Easy were forced to flee from Hurricane Katrina and have struggled to make ends meet after they lost everything to the flood. But now, some have begun to return. Jeffrey Brown reports on the uncertainties that surround the artists and the music industry.
-- NewsHour

Web Resources: A list of groups working to help displaced musicians and more about the musicians interviewed by the NewsHour

Extended Interview: More of Jeffrey Brown's interview with clarinetist and cultural scholar Michael White

Mp3 Download: The Rebirth Brass Band (pictured above) plays "Keep That Body Shaking" (4Mb)
--The Rebirth Brass Band

WWOZ, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage public radio station, is streaming its broadcast daily from 10am - 11pm EST.
-Mp3 Stream
(listen with WinAmp, ITunes/ Quicktime, and RealPlayer)
-Windows Stream
(listen with Windows Media Player)

November 11, 2005
Hurricane Katrina Evacuees Settle in Austin
Many hurricane evacuees remaining in Austin are facing major changes as FEMA benefits and other assistance programs expire. A documentary series traces one New Orleans family as they adapt to their lives in Texas.
-- KLRU

November 11, 2005
Louisiana Officials Consider Consolidation of Levee Boards
Video: Louisiana's vast system of levees is overseen by 24 locally elected boards that make policy for their districts. Some of the state's levee boards have been criticized for corruption and cronyism, and many state officials, including Gov. Kathleen Blanco, have called for their consolidation so the state can speak with one voice on levees. Legislators and local officials, however, have voiced concerns of losing effective levee district systems while trying to weed out the bad. "This State We're In" reports on the issue and looks at one levee district that stayed high and dry during the storms.
-- Louisiana Public Broadcasting

November 11, 2005
Blanco Calls for Unity as Legislators Tackle Budget
Video: Gov. Kathleen Blanco began a special session of the Louisiana legislature Nov. 6 with a call for unity as lawmakers set out to rewrite the state budget and formulate a long term recovery plan.
-- Louisiana Public Broadcasting

November 1, 2005
New Orleans Struggles to Rebuild Schools After Katrina
New Orleans school officials say they will rebuild the school system from scratch and hope to open some repaired schools in November, improving a system known for corruption and scandal.
-- NewsHour

November 1, 2005
FDIC Head to Lead Gulf Coast Recovery
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff tapped Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chairman Donald Powell on Tuesday to head the federal government's effort to rebuild areas of the Gulf Coast devastated by hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
-- Online NewsHour

October 21, 2005
Louisiana Legislators Face Post-storm Budget Shortfall
Video: Louisiana lawmakers will likely be called into a special legislative session before the end of the year in order to rewrite the state budget. They will face big losses in state revenue due to destruction wrought by hurricanes Katrina and Rita along with a constitutional mandate to pass a balanced budget. "This State We're In" looks at some of the tough decisions legislators may have to make.
-- Louisiana Public Broadcasting

October 20, 2005
Passenger Rail Line, Green Space Mulled for Mississippi Renewal
Mississippi residents packed into town hall meetings this week to offer their views of how to rebuild the coastline damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Much of the discussion focused on the ideas of creating more green space and improving public access to the ocean.
-- Online NewsHour

October 17, 2005
Mississippi Approves Onshore Gambling as Biloxi Looks to Rebuild
Jutting from the coastline in Biloxi, Miss., casino barges have brought a steady stream of revenue to the area and created thousands of jobs for the once depressed coastal community of some 50,000 residents.
-- Online NewsHour

October 14, 2005
Initial Recovery Cost Estimates Spawn Debate on National Priorities
The devastation left by hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the Gulf Coast will require the largest recovery and rebuilding effort ever undertaken by the United States. The scope of the project and the innumerable plans to tackle it has spurred a national debate over the final cost of the reconstruction and how to fund it.
-- Online NewsHour

October 14, 2005
Case Study: Galveston, Texas
The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina will reshape the communities along the Gulf Coast. As the city of Galveston, Texas can attest, it's not the first time a major storm has changed the direction of a city.
-- Online NewsHour

October 14, 2005
Planners Consider Future of New Orleans
Officials in New Orleans, a city twice flooded by hurricanes in 2005, now face the challenge of rebuilding one of America's most unique cities while making it safe for residents to live and work.
-- Online NewsHour

October 14, 2005
Experts Debate Long-term Environmental Impacts of Katrina
More than 193,000 barrels of oil -- some 7 million gallons -- spilled along the Louisiana coast line in August when Hurricane Katrina hit, the largest oil spill in the state's history and the biggest since the Exxon Valdez crashed off the coast of Alaska in 1989.
-- Online NewsHour

Video
-- Alabama Public Television (October 6, 2005)

Video
-- Louisiana Public Broadcasting (September 23, 2005)

October 4, 2005
Private Companies Rebuild Gulf
Awards to private contractors to aid recovery along the Gulf Coast make the largest transfer of federal fund into private hands. Most of the contracts were awarded with little or no bidding, worrying government watchdog groups. A report from Louisiana gives an overview of their contributions.
-- NewsHour

October 4, 2005
Hurricane Wreaks Havoc on Environment
Video: While it is easy to see the damage Hurricane Katrina has left to homes, businesses and property, the destruction to the coastline and natural resources must still be assessed. Guests discuss the environmental damage to Louisiana and the measures needed to prevent further erosion.
-- Alabama Public Television

September 30, 2005
New Orleans Mayor Organizes Rebuilding Commission
On a day in which he reopened neighborhoods that once housed more than 100,000 residents, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced a 17-member commission to draft a rebuilding plan for New Orleans, tapping business owners and others, including Roman Catholic Archbishop Alfred Hughes and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, to the job.
-- NewsHour

September 30, 2005
Small Louisiana Town Faces Daunting Rebuilding Effort
Video: Many small towns have felt overlooked and undersupplied since hurricanes Katrina and Rita brought crippling devastation. City leaders and residents of Vinton, a small Louisiana town about 10 miles from the Texas border, are struggling to clean up and rebuild in the aftermath of the storms.
-- Louisiana Public Broadcasting

September 30, 2005
Corps of Engineers, Government Leaders Look to Rebuilding Levees
Video: Promises to rebuild New Orleans may hinge on the ability to reconstruct the region's levee system to be able to withstand another major storm. This "State We're In" looks at why the levees failed and the challenges engineers will face when rebuilding them.
-- Louisiana Public Broadcasting

September 30, 2005
Displaced Students Adjust to New Surroundings
Video: In the aftermath of dual hurricanes every one of Louisiana's 66 school systems has either experienced evacuations or received evacuees. State Superintendent of Education Cecil Picard backs the relocations, saying children need the stability of a classroom setting as soon as possible after the disaster. Some residents of east Baton Rouge parish describe their experiences involving the influx of new students.
-- Louisiana Public Broadcasting

September 27, 2005
Policyholders, Companies Struggle with Insurance Claims
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of thousands of policyholders are seeking money and support from their insurance companies, but the news they get has more to do with how their homes and businesses were destroyed than if their policies were up to date. Correspondent Spencer Michels provides a report.
-- NewsHour

September 27, 2005
Congress Investigates Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina
Former Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Michael Brown defended his role in the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina, blaming the slow reaction on the lack of preparedness at the state and local level.
-- NewsHour

September 23, 2005
City Leaders, Residents Take Early Look at Rebuilding New Orleans
Video: Government officials, residents, corporations and private investors debate how best to repopulate and rebuild the devastated city of New Orleans and who will fund the effort.
-- Louisiana Public Broadcasting

September 20, 2005
Cost of Katrina Construction Poses Major Challenge to Washington
President Bush has pledged the federal government "will do what it takes" to rebuild areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina, even as estimates of the costs have soared to between $200 billion and $300 billion. The enormous price tag has pushed lawmakers in Washington to consider a wide array of ways to pay for the effort, although Republicans have promised not to raise taxes. Two budget experts consider how Congress and the president may handle the costs of helping the Gulf Coast recover.
-- NewsHour

September 16, 2005
President's Address Opens Debate over Future of Gulf Region
President Bush's pledge to do "what it takes" to rebuild areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina has sparked a debate among officials, activists scholars and others about the scope and goals of the government's effort. Ray Suarez speaks with Bruce Katz of the Brookings Institution; Alison Fraser of the Heritage Foundation; Mark Shleff-Steen, environmental reporter for the New Orleans Times-Picayune; Ronnie Seaton, a chef and teacher from New Orleans; and William Julius Wilson, a professor of social policy at Harvard University, about their reaction to President Bush's speech.
-- NewsHour