RAND created the Gulf States Policy Institute in 2005 to support hurricane recovery and long-term economic development in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Today, RAND Gulf States provides objective analysis to federal, state, and local leaders in support of evidence-based policymaking and the well-being of individuals throughout the Gulf States region. With offices in New Orleans, Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi, RAND Gulf States is dedicated to answering the region's toughest questions related to a wide range of issues that include coastal protection and restoration, health care, and workforce development.
Recent News and Reports
Managing the Unexpected: Lessons Learned about How to Respond More Effectively to Disaster — Mar. 11, 2011
RAND Gulf States hosted Admiral Thad Allen, Senior RAND Fellow, Retired Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, and National Incident Commander for the response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as he discussed his experiences leading the nation's high-profile response to two national emergencies—the oil spill and Hurricane Katrina.
Gulf Coast Insurance Forum: What's Wrong with the Insurance Market Along the Gulf Coast and How Do We Fix It? — Oct. 20, 2010
A panel discussion of the current insurance market and the future of reform efforts will include a new RAND report, "Residential Insurance on the U.S. Gulf Coast in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: A Framework for Evaluating Potential Reform."
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Translating Research into Action: From Recovery to Renaissance — Aug. 25-27, 2010
On the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, RAND Gulf States in partnership with LANO and the Allstate Foundation invites Louisiana's leaders to discuss the crucial role of nonprofits in rebuilding after the storm.
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News Release
Navigating the Road to Recovery: Assessment of the Disaster Case Management Pilot in Louisiana — Jun. 30, 2010
This report documents some of the key challenges in coordination, communication, and financing of the Disaster Case Management Pilot (DCMP) program and offers recommendations for future state and FEMA implementation of disaster case management.
Full DocumentResearch Brief
The Workforce and Economic Recovery: Effects of Hurricane Katrina — Jun. 22, 2010
In addition to the $100 billion in damages caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, there were relatively short-lived disruptions to labor markets in aggregate, but longer-term, detrimental employment effects on workers displaced to other regions.
Research Brief
Priorities for Investments in Children and Families in Louisiana — Mar. 16, 2010
The Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier selected education, health, and poverty as the focus for funding related to children and families. This framework helps the Foundation prioritize investments by identifying the intersection of local needs, community assets, and national best practices.
Full DocumentResearch Brief
Post-Katrina Project Demonstrates a Rapid, Participatory Assessment of Health Care and Develops a Partnership for Post-Disaster Recovery in New Orleans — Mar. 10, 2010
Stakeholders in communities in which health care access was disrupted by Hurricane Katrina were engaged in an assessment of health priorities, as well as in data interpretation and plan design, to produce a sustainable community-academic partnership.
Research Brief
How Fare the Displaced and Returned Residents of New Orleans? — Jan. 27, 2010
The Displaced New Orleans Residents Pilot Study shows that it is possible to study this hard-to-survey population to determine rates of return and mental illness among residents who experienced Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Research Brief
Rapid Community Participatory Assessment of Health Care in Post-Storm New Orleans — Dec. 1, 2009
A post-Katrina assessment that combined community-based participatory research and rapid assessment procedures identifies health care access challenges, unmet needs, and health system resources in post-storm New Orleans.
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Promoting Mental Health Recovery After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
— Oct. 1, 2009
Evidence-based mental health response is feasible, but requires targeted resources, increased provider capacity, and advanced planning.
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More Support Is Needed to Integrate Nongovernmental Agencies in Human Recovery from Disasters — Sep. 23, 2009
Changing emergency planning rules to make nongovernmental organizations a key component of recovery efforts could get them involved earlier and speed the full recovery of communities after disaster strikes.
Full DocumentNews Release
RAND Helping Charities Demonstrate Return on Investment — May 8, 2009
Being able to show results is more important than ever for nonprofits seeking government funding. A recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy references RAND's 2005 evaluation of the Nurse-Family Partnership, a nonprofit program that provides nurse home visits to low-income first-time parents and their children. RAND's analysis of the program showed a return on investment of $5.70 for every $1.00 spent. This nonprofit program can demonstrate results, and RAND's analysis made those results clear.
RAND supports nonprofit organizations in another way. It operates the Promising Practices Network, a web-based resource that provides high-quality, evidence-based information about practices and programs that improve the lives of children, youth, and families.
Read Article at The Chronicle of Philanthropy RAND Promising Practices Network
View News and Reports Archive
Commentary
Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? — Jun. 30, 2010
In his inaugural address, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said, "To all those who have gone away, it is time for you to come home." In that speech, the mayor clearly accepted his dual challenge: rebuild a city that welcomes its still-displaced residents, and make long-needed changes to attract newcomers as well.
Commentary
Human Side of Katrina Recovery Still Needs Work — Oct. 17, 2009
Four years after Hurricane Katrina, many people in the Gulf Coast region are still "just surviving," struggling with the economic devastation and the physical and psychological toll of these kinds of disasters, write Anita Chandra and Joie Acosta.
Commentary
Five Questions President Obama Should Ask in His Visit to New Orleans — Oct. 14, 2009
The federal government has spent about $140 billion responding to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the Gulf Coast now needs more money for hurricane and flood protection and for coastal restoration. But we still haven't properly evaluated whether our money was spent wisely, writes Melissa Flournoy.
Commentary
Alabama's Challenge: Better Prepared Workforce — Jul. 14, 2009
Alabama has made significant economic progress in recent decades, attracting car manufacturers and new industrial development. The state now has an opportunity to address some systemic challenges in education, health care, and workforce development to be competitive in a global economy, writes Melissa Flournoy.
Commentary
Seeking New Approaches to Old Problems — Apr. 9, 2009
These tough times also present an opportunity for Mississippi to do more than just cope with the immediate crisis: it can work to find smart ways to address the chronic social and economic problems that have plagued the state for decades, writes Melissa Flournoy.
Commentary
Obama, Congress Can Improve FEMA, Homeland Security — Dec. 21, 2008
In his campaign, President-elect Barack Obama pledged to rebuild the Gulf Coast — one of the country's most wounded, yet economically strategic, regions. To keep this laudable promise, he will need to make a sustained commitment not only to a national disaster recovery plan, but also a comprehensive economic development strategy for the Gulf Coast, writes Melissa Flournoy.
Commentary
Change Choices, Not Conversation — Feb. 24, 2008
Too often we talk only about the ongoing challenges facing education, health care, transportation and economic development across the Gulf South — Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.... We need to determine new ways to work together across state lines to focus on solutions that will benefit the entire region, writes Melissa Flournoy.
Commentary
When Students Disappear… — Feb. 21, 2007
Fifty-three thousand students disappeared from Louisiana's public school system after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Another 10,000 enrolled temporarily after the storms and then departed. They did not return to the state's public schools for the remainder of the 2005-06 school year, writes John F. Pane.
Commentary
Mississippi Comeback — Aug. 20, 2006
Hurricane Katrina caused as much devastation and human suffering along Mississippi's Gulf Coast as it did to New Orleans. It was the worst disaster to hit the state since the Mississippi River floods of 1927 and the Great Depression that soon followed. Katrina's powerful winds and floodwaters claimed 231 lives statewide, caused more than $100 billion in damages and destroyed buildings, crops and livestock as far as 100 miles inland.
Commentary
Health Costs of Katrina — Oct. 10, 2005
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita took a devastating toll on their victims, tragically killing and injuring some and leaving many not only homeless but jobless - deprived of paychecks and employer-sponsored health insurance. Suddenly unable to pay their medical bills, these people - like many others who were poor and lacked health insurance before the hurricanes - now face a health care crisis.
Commentary
Healing Storm Victims' Mental Health — Oct. 3, 2005
Victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita are now faced with the task of coping with the psychological aftermath of the nightmare storms. Without a major national effort, many may not have the help they need to recover fully, write Kenneth B. Wells and Greer Sullivan.
Commentary
Prepare for Disaster — Sep. 27, 2005
The glaring lesson in the aftermath of the largest emergency response and relief effort in U.S. history following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is that it is far less painful and expensive to prepare for disasters than to respond to them. We've seen the same lesson following earlier disasters, but have failed to learn its, write Tom LaTourrette and Ed Chan.
Commentary
Get Proactive with Disasters — Sep. 27, 2005
Imagine if the Army's main strategy for protecting soldiers was to provide more ambulances, hospital beds, and doctors to treat the wounded - instead of relying on defensive measures such as fortifications, tanks, body armor and helmets to protect soldiers from being wounded in the first place. The strategy of responding only after attacks instead of adequately preparing to defend against them sounds absurd. But it is exactly what the federal government, states and localities have done when it comes to protecting people from disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornados and volcanoes, writes Charles Meade.
Commentary
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