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In September, 2005, ILRU led efforts by a coalition of disability groups around the country providing support and assistance to people with disabilities along the Gulf Coast of the United States who were affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. During the course of 12 months subsequent to landfall of Hurricane Katrina, ILRU staff responded to more than 3,000 telephone calls and emails for help from people with disabilities in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Texas who were displaced by the hurricanes.

This website includes information which ILRU gathered during the months immediately following the storms and which has been gathered since then as part of our efforts to assist people with disabilities, their families, independent living centers and other organizations prepare for and respond to disasters which may affect people with disabilities.

This Web site features televised interviews with disaster preparedness and emergency response officials, with people who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina, and with experts on issues pertaining to disaster preparedness and response. Links are provided to webcasts, books and newsletters, training materials, and other resources, which have been prepared to assist centers for independent living, public officials, emergency preparedness officials, and people with disabilities and their families. ILRU will continue to update this site and these materials as more is learned about protecting and saving lives of people with disabilities in disasters