Katrina Recovery - A series of Quick Teleconferences sponsored by the Section of Environment, Energy and Resources and cosponsored by the Section of Business law, Section on State and Local Government, Standing Committee on Environmental Law; a volunteer effort to provide expertise and resources to those working to rebuild areas devastated by recent hurricanes. This series has been underwritten, in part, by ConferTel, our conference call provider, so that attorneys and public officials in affected areas of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida can participate for FREE. These presentations will be recorded, posted to www.abanet.org/environ/katrina, and archived for future use.

Fourth in the Series:
Challenges to Redevelopment after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

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Program Overview:
The devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was so sweeping and complete that previous approaches to repair or reconstruction are, in some cases, irrelevant. The beaches, buildings and highways near the gulf coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi were almost totally destroyed. The storm surge and flooding piled on to create another set of extreme environmental problems. Fundamental questions of what to rebuild, where to rebuild or whether to rebuild at all are on the table. The frustrating question of “Where to start?” has the potential to stymie all efforts. Essential infrastructure is damaged beyond repair in many places, preventing any meaningful planning for other redevelopment needs. Disadvantaged neighborhoods and communities have been hard hit. The building blocks of restoration, like financing and insurance, are missing and may be difficult to restore. The roles of various levels of government are unclear. The philosophy of the redevelopment program, whether to restore what was before or try to build something better, is yet to be determined. This panel features people actively leading the response to these challenges in the hardest hit areas. They will discuss the problems and the solutions proposed so far and try to give an outlook for the future.

Faculty:
Moderator:
Michael B. Gerrard, Arnold & Porter, New York, NY

Panelists:
Professor Oliver Houck, Tulane Law School, New Orleans, LA
Alden McDonald, President, Liberty Bank & Trust Company, Baton Rouge, LA
Brian Sanderson, Deputy Director, Governor’s Office of Recovery and Renewal (formerly the Redevelopment Task Force), Jackson, MS
Dr. Beverly Wright, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Xavier University, New Orleans, LA

This program will not offer CLE.

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