Twenty years ago this week — August 29, 2005 — Hurricane Katrina struck, devastating New Orleans and so many communities around the Gulf Coast. Although it has been two decades, many of us recall with horror the tragic loss of life, the unspeakable destruction and damage, thousands and thousands of people displaced, a nation awash in grief. For the people of Louisiana and Mississippi, the scope of loss was tremendous, totaling more than $125 billion in damages. Twenty years later, people are still recovering.
Beyond the loss, though, there were many glimmers of light following Hurricane Katrina. People came together. Faith communities from around the country sent teams of volunteers to assist with clean-up and recovery efforts. Although slow in responding, government agencies like FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, played an important role in providing for emergency shelter, temporary housing, food, and medical care for displaced victims, and providing financial assistance for immediate needs. In the wake of tragedy and loss, the collaboration of the public sector and the private sector, including faith communities, was essential.
Then and now, Hurricane Katrina reminds us of the power of coming together — of the fundamental resilience of humanity — of the sacred responsibility we hold, to respond to our neighbors’ needs, to care for each other in moments of tragedy, to put community before self, to prioritize the common good.
If a storm like Katrina were to cause this kind of devastation today, would we be prepared? I fear we would not. Our nation is dismantling the very systems responsible for preparing and responding in moments of devastation. Federal agencies like FEMA, which helps Americans prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters; like NOAA, which forecasts dangerous storms so communities can be prepared; and like the CDC, which plays a key role in public health and emergency preparedness — all of these are being gutted.
Life-saving safety nets have been defunded. Critical infrastructure that safeguards lives is collapsing. This is a moral and civic failure. When we disinvest in preparedness, deny the gravity of climate change, or delay action, we put American lives, livelihoods, and communities at risk and weaken our children’s future.
This is why I have chosen to join leaders from around the country — leaders across the health, faith, and civic sectors — in signing on to a statement that issues a clear, urgent call for climate resilience and justice. Organized by ecoAmerica, the statement calls on our national leaders to:
- fully fund and restore FEMA, NOAA, CDC, and all critical resilience programs;
- put health, safety, responsibility, and fairness at the center of federal disaster preparedness and response; and
- enact federal policy that accelerates the transition away from fossil fuels, which are driving climate change and increasing the risk of extreme weather.
We cannot wait for the next storm to remind us of what truly matters. We must act boldly, swiftly, and collectively — right now — to build the future our children deserve. We can rise to meet the challenges we face. And we must.
For the sake of the common good,
Rev. Dr. Allen Ewing-Merrill
Executive Director, The BTS Center