U.S. Housing and Urban Development recently contracted with Abt Associates Inc. and released a two-part study examining the housing recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The report investigates how $19.7 billion in Disaster Recovery Grants were used in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas to help with recovery from those devastating hurricanes of 2005. The research had two key components: “windshield observations” of significantly damaged homes and neighborhoods and a survey of the owners of properties that were badly damaged. HUD has published two reports from this research:

  • Housing Recovery in the Gulf Coast, Phase I: Results of Windshield Observations in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
  • Housing Recovery on the Gulf Coast, Phase II: Result of Property Owner Survey in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

The summary presents key findings from both reports and describes key policy issues surrounding the federal role in disaster recovery.

Click here to download a summary page.