Hurricane Katrina and Disability – The Disability Funders Network Statement

From Disability Funders Network

Many of us in the funding community have been deeply disturbed and distressed by the widespread ravage and destruction caused first by Hurricane Katrina, then by Hurricane Rita, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to become refugees in their own country. As the evidence has mounted, it has become increasingly clear that Katrina and Rita did not affect everyone in their path equally. Those with the fewest resources and the greatest barriers to evacuation experienced the greatest losses. Among those who paid the highest price were people with disabilities. Many lacked the resources and/or accessible transportation to leave before the hurricanes struck. Once stranded, they faced difficulties making their need for rescue known. For those who were rescued, disaster services were often ill-prepared to meet their needs.

Having learned some painful lessons from the experiences of people with disabilities during and after the tragic events of 9/11, many government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private funders involved with disability issues have responded to the challenges created by the recent hurricanes by rapidly organizing creative collaborations to address the needs of people with disabilities.

The Disability Funders Network has been an active participant in many of these organizing activities, building on a project it began soon after 9/11 designed to educate funders about the emergency preparedness and disaster relief issues not only of people with disabilities but also older adults, recognizing the overlapping issues in these two groups.

The materials in this section of the DFN Web site are designed to provide an overview of the issues facing people with disabilities and older adults as the result of Katrina, Rita and other disasters, and to offer funders a variety of ways they can assist organizations helping people with disabilities by these disasters.

How to Help

Visit The Disability Funders Network website, http://www.disabilityfunders.org/katrina.html : Clicking on any of the links will take you to a description of the organization's efforts to assist people with disabilities and a link to its Web site. Although a few focus on specific needs, most of the organizations listed provide comprehensive relief services that cross many grantmaking categories.