Event Summary
As we approached the six-month mark of the post-Katrina recovery effort, the Brookings Institution hosted leaders from the New Orleans area along with federal policymakers for a public dialogue on how best to rebuild the city of New Orleans and southern Louisiana. The program assessed the state and local progress on the ground, and focused on the role the federal government needed to play in order to facilitate the re-building of communities and residents' lives. Participants included the co-chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority and the federal coordinator for Gulf Coast rebuilding.
The forum was designed to be highly interactive. It was comprised of two panels. The first will focused on the status of state and local plans for rebuilding southern Louisiana and New Orleans–honing in on details of the local and state visions for long-term rebuilding, whether these plans are complementary, and the extent of the challenges that remain. The second panel will consisted of federal leaders who discussed what the federal response ought to have been, given what the people of Louisiana and New Orleans envisioned and needed.
Panel 1: Status of Rebuilding
Moderator
Tim Morris
State and Political Editor, New Orleans Times Picayune
Panelists
Walter Isaacson
Co-Chair, Louisiana Recovery Authority
Dan Packer
CEO and President, Entergy New Orleans; Member, Mayor Nagin's Bring New Orleans Back Commission
Howard Brooks
CEO, United Bank and Trust Co.
Robert Twilley
Professor of Oceanography and Coastal Science, Louisiana State University
Mtumishi St. Julien
Executive Director, Finance Authority of New Orleans; Co-Chair, Housing Subcommittee, Mayor Nagin's Commission |
Panel 2: Federal Response and Collaboration
Moderator
Tim Morris
State and Political Editor, New Orleans Times Picayune
Panelists
Donald Powell
Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding, Department of Homeland Security
Walter Isaacson
Co-Chair, Louisiana Recovery Authority
Dan Packer
CEO and President, Entergy New Orleans; Member, Mayor Nagin's Bring New Orleans Back Commission
Howard Brooks
CEO, United Bank and Trust Co.
Robert Twilley
Professor of Oceanography and Coastal Science, Louisiana State University
Mtumishi St. Julien
Executive Director, Finance Authority of New Orleans; Co-Chair, Housing Subcommittee, Mayor Nagin's Commission |