National Service Responds: The Power of Help and Hope After Katrina

More than 35,000 national service participants contributed more than 1.6 million hours during the first year of hurricane relief and recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina struck, according to this report by the Corporation for National and Community Service. In addition to their direct service, these Senior Corps volunteers, AmeriCorps members, and Learn and Serve America students also coordinated the efforts of more than 93,000 community volunteers. This report chronicles the initial response and ongoing recovery activities of national service volunteers through text, photographs, vignettes, and maps. While documenting the powerful contributions made through national service, it also points out the challenges of disaster volunteering and the long road to recovery ahead. (authors)