Special Report: Goodwill Responds to Katrina

Goodwills in Six Communities Step Up to Serve Hurricane Survivors

Our reporter visited several Goodwills that are taking very active roles in hurricane recovery efforts in order to help survivors rebuild their lives. Read about them below. Contact the Goodwill in your area to learn more about relief and recovery in your community.

Austin, TX

UPDATE: Austin, One Year Later

(September 2006) - About 8,000 Katrina evacuees ended up in Austin in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina, and it's estimated that the city now has 2,000 to 7,000 evacuees.  

Read the full story.

Read 2005 coverage.

Houston, TX

UPDATE: Houston, One Year Later

(September 2006) - The City of Houston drew perhaps two-thirds of the people who evacuated from Hurricane Katrina—many of whom left after the levees in New Orleans broke. It's been estimated that 130,000 to 150,000 evacuees are still there.

Read the Full Story.

Read 2005 coverage.

Shreveport, LA

UPDATE: Shreveport, One Year Later

(August 2006) - The estimated 5,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees living in Shreveport, LA, are slowly settling into their lives 333 miles away from New Orleans. Yet, in the year following Hurricane Katrina's unwanted visit to the Gulf Coast, the workforce development staff of Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana is also just beginning to breathe normally again.

Read the full story.

Read 2005 coverage.

Lafayett, LA

UPDATE: Lafayette, One Year Later

(August 2006) - When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi last August, thousands of New Orleans residents ended up in Lafayette, LA, just two hours west of the Crescent City. A year after stepping outside of its mission to provide evacuees with immediate disaster relief, Goodwill Industries Acadiana is now helping New Orleans natives deal with the lingering effects of the big one.

Read the full story.

Read 2005 coverage.

New Orleans, LA

UPDATE: New Orleans, One Year Later

(August 2006) - As so many New Orleans residents grapple with rebuilding their homes, the city’s Goodwill is likewise struggling. Three weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit, Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana’s headquarters looked like it had survived with little damage—yet the staff soon learned that the facility had indeed sustained structural damage. Currently, insurance claims are still being settled, and the disposition of the building is still unclear.

Read the full story.

Read 2005 coverage.

Gulftport, MS

UPDATE: Gulfport, One Year Later

(August 2006) - A year after Hurricane Katrina pushed a 20-foot wall of water onto the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Goodwill Industries of South Mississippi continues to recover from the storm’s effects, rebuilding its business lines, one store and one person at a time.

Read the full story.

Read 2005 coverage.

 
Letters to Goodwill
Financial donations from the public and from Goodwills around the world helped the Goodwills affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year.

Katrina was a very difficult ordeal for my family and me; but it is the generosity and caring of people like you that have made it bearable.
- Sincerely, Joan (Kenner, LA)


Read more letters
Hurricane Katrina Coverage - Keeping Louisiana Working

Video of Goodwill job fair


Keep Louisiana Working

In October 2005, Goodwill co-hosted a job fair in Shreveport, LA to connect evacuee job seekers with job training services and work opportunities. The interviews and images in this two-minute video show Goodwill's role in helping people go to work.
Watch videoWatch Video

© 2008 Goodwill Industries International. All rights reserved
Web Accessibility Policy  |  Terms and Conditions  |  Privacy Policy Statement