In Nov. 2005, the President issued an executive order establishing the Office of the Fed. Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding (OFC) with the broad mission of supporting recovery efforts following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Given their vast size and impact, these storms presented unprecedented rebuilding challenges to federal, state, and local officials which, combined with concerns about the lack of coordination in the government¿s initial response to the disaster, precipitated the creation of the OFC. This report: (1) describes the functions the Coordinator has performed; (2) obtains stakeholder perspectives regarding the office's operation; and (3) provides observations on issues to be considered for moving forward. Illustrations.

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding: Perspectives and Observations

In Obama's America public works is once again a part of the national dialogue. Today it is offered as a solution to the economic downturn and to the public infrastructure crisis. This timely book examines the reasons for the economic crisis facing Main Street, and connects them to why the nation has structurally deficient bridges, weak levees, poorly maintained dams, and dilapidated schools. The book goes on to analyse the history of US public works, updating lessons from the New Deal, to understand the most effective way to organise a modern US civic works project, based on a civic works pilot project for the Gulf Coast. One chapter features new contributions by Howard Zinn, Angela Glover Blackwell, and other leading scholars and thinkers weighing in on how an US civic works project might solve our economic, infrastructure, and environmental crises.

The devastation caused by the Gulf Coast hurricanes presents the nation with unprecedented challenges as well as opportunities to reexamine shared responsibility among all levels of gov¿t. All levels of gov¿t., together with the private & nonprofit sectors, will need to play a critical role in the process of choosing what, where, & how to rebuild. Agreeing on what the costs are, what federal funds have been provided, & who will bear the costs will be key to the overall rebuilding effort. This testimony: (1) places federal assistance provided to date in the context of damage estimates for the Gulf Coast; & (2) discusses key federal programs that provide rebuilding assistance to the Gulf Coast states. Illustrations.