New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice

Through My Eyes: Louisiana’s First Independent Evacuation Shelter Monitoring Report

Evacuation can never be effective, humane or legal without prioritizing community community input and decision making in evacuation planning, preparation, and implementation.  This grassroots monitoring report is one step towards building adequate transparency and accountability into Louisiana’s emergency preparedness and response.

The purpose of this report is to provide families of Southeast Louisiana with a comprehensive and honest assessment of Louisiana’s evacuation plan and sheltering readiness prior to a mandatory evacuation.  The information comes from community assessors – 90% were former evacuees in state run shelters during the 2008 mandatory Gustav evacuation.

STAND’s specific priorities were: (1) to determine the readiness of the State of Louisiana’s 2009 Evacuation and Sheltering Plan: (2) to assess the humanitarian standards in place at ‘State-run’ Critical Transportation Needs Shelters (CTNS) and Medical Special Needs Shelters; and (3) to evaluate the state’s shelter management and organization.

To download the full report, click here.