Rebuilding New Orleans

Hurricane Katrina’s fury caused an eight meter rise in water levels, an extreme storm surge, and 80% of New Orleans was flooded by six meters of water.  The unprecedented storm surge caused 50 breaches in drainage canal levees that were built to protect low lying New Orleans homes from flooding. Massive flooding and destructive winds destroyed more than 200,000 homes and vehicles.

 

Rebuilding New Orleans has had mixed success. Large parts of the city’s infrastructure remain damaged. The poor and the elderly, who lack the insurance or personal savings to rebuild, are particularly vulnerable. U.S. Congress appropriated $116 billion towards the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast. However, much of that money hasn’t reached municipal projects, such as housing. According to Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, a further six billion US dollars is needed to repair and rebuild homes in New Orleans. Without a government mechanism to compensate homeowners and then clean up and repackage entire, devastated neighborhoods for developers, much of the city will never be rebuilt, she said.

A number of innovative rebuilding projects are enabling the construction of new, environmentally friendly homes. Global Green, Green Cross Australia’s US counterpart, is a not-for-profit group working for the sustainable rebuilding of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast using environmentally sensitive designs and building materials that are safe for families, safe for construction workers, and safe for the environment. They’ll create a model for sustainable development and rebuilding New Orleans, educate people about the benefits of green building, and promote practical solutions and innovative technology to stop global warming.

Global Green USA’s Holy Cross Project is building affordable green housing for low income Katrina victims, and Global Green USA is also working on greening schools throughout the area in order to creating a green model for development and rebuilding for New Orleans.

 

Global Green USA’s Build it Back Green(BIBG) website powers rebuilding initiatives for all types of NGOs and developers working in New Orleans. BIBG is a free service offered to help US citizens in New Orleans rebuild their home in a more energy efficient and healthy way, as well as reduce monthly utility costs. Global Green USA has received funding to assist New Orleans homeowners receiving Road Home grants. BIBG's goal is to make you aware of the lowest cost green rebuilding techniques, focusing on energy efficiency, water savings and indoor air quality.

 

Brad Pitt launched Global Green’s sustainable rebuilding work in New Orleans. Brad Pitt’s Make it Right Foundation is also building affordable, sustainable, houses in the Lower 9th Ward, one of the worst-hit, low-income areas in New Orleans. The Foundation is building a neighborhood comprised of safe and healthy homes, which preserve the spirit of the community's culture. They aim to accomplish this quickly, so that residents can begin returning to their homes as soon as possible