A Brief History
On August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina changed forever the lives of Louisiana’s residents. Less than a month later, Hurricane Rita followed, adding a second wave of unprecedented damage. The storms ravaged Louisiana’s coastline and wetlands, submerged houses, schools and businesses, and destroyed whole communities. Half a million people were forced to seek higher ground. Many of those who survived were left without homes or jobs. Between hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Gulf South was hit with the costliest combination of storms in human history.
The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation was established on September 5th, 2005 – a mere six days after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, catalyzing this series of disastrous events and a deluge of human suffering. The Foundation undertook the urgent mission of addressing the immediate needs of Louisiana residents by coordinating local and national philanthropic efforts to ensure that resources for recovery were accessible to those most in need. While the Foundation moved swiftly, our actions were thoughtful and deliberate, carefully designed to provide those in need with tools for long-term improvement rather than temporary fixes.
Thanks to the outpouring of international support, the Foundation was able to responsibly expedite resources to address immediate needs and has subsequently awarded more than $29M in grants to 144 organizations, supporting projects ranging in scope from aiding small business recovery to placing more than 2500 families back into homes, to coordinating advocacy teams for citizens wanting to have a meaningful voice in issues of public policy. This spectrum of worthy causes is united in its focus on rebuilding a better, more equitable Louisiana.
