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.

Acknowledgements

The following organizations have provided support for this Web site:

• Independent Living Research Utilization Program
• TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation & Research
• Baylor College of Medicine
• University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston
• Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), U.S. Department of Education
• National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), U.S. Department of Education

Substantial support for development of this Web site was provided by the U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration and National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. No official endorsement of the Department of Education should be inferred. Other contributors to the Web site are listed above and no official endorsement by these contributors should be inferred. ILRU is a program of TIRR Memorial Hermann, a national leader in medical rehabilitation and research.