Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Watching Out: Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch

The Institute for Southern Studies has started a new webpage and blog called Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch "a new project to document and investigate the rebuilding of the Southern Gulf in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita"
Through much of the Gulf Coast coast, there's now an eery silence. The hurricanes have left, the flood waters have receded, and the TV cameras are nearly all gone.

But for the people of the hurricane-ravaged South, the struggle for their region's future has just begun.

While residents are focused on picking up the pieces, a handful of powerful interests -- well-connected contractors, unscrupulous developers, and ambitious politicians -- are cutting deals, making plans and seeking to capitalize on the disaster.

But who's watching them?

We are.
Good. Someone needs to do it.