News

Appleseed Officially Launches Hurricane Response Project

  • 4/21/2006
  • Appleseed
  • Source: Katrina (Decommissioned)

This week, Appleseed - with partner Faegre & Benson LLP, a Minnesota-based law firm - launched its Hurricanes Katrina & Rita Response Collaborative Project: Coordinating the Systemic Response, Streamlining Advocacy in Post-Hurricane Relief & Resettlement Efforts.

In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which devastated the Gulf Coast region and uprooted hundreds of thousands of people, communities across the nation opened their doors, offering shelter and relief to those whose lives were devastated by the storms. The communities that have absorbed evacuees throughout the Gulf region face a common barrier to their efforts - too few resources to serve such an overwhelming need. In light of this crisis, Appleseed seeks to know what can be done to aid the efforts of those agencies working as advocates for survivors.

Through interviews with community, government, and legal service agencies serving evacuees, Appleseed and its legal partners will document the status of Katrina evacuees in key destination cities. From this research, we will paint a picture of best practices and barriers and then, drawing on this information, recommend policy reforms.

To date, four other firms, Jones Day; Kilpatrick Stockton; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; and Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, have signed onto the project. Additional firms are expected to join the efforts in the next few weeks.

"We are very pleased and honored to work with Appleseed and our partner law firms on this unique project, and our team looks forward to an initial site visit in the Gulf region this coming week", said David Gross, lead attorney for the Faegre & Benson team.

For more information on the Appleseed network and any of our collaborative projects, please visit: www.appleseednetwork.org.