This document briefly describes the recent history and future projects of ULM RELIEF, a grassroots relief and recovery organization that has been on the ground and operating continuously within five days of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating impact on the Gulf Coast, including maintaining a team on site throughout Hurricane Rita. ULM has been operating its rotating volunteer based recovery effort without interruption since September 2005 in one of the neediest areas of the region and the United States. It has depended entirely on the donations of individuals, churches, and small groups around the country to survive yet it has been one of the great success stories to come out of a time of massive loss and the largest relocation of the US population since the Civil War.
The approach taken by the ULM Partners as outlined in this document focuses on the long term solution for housing and economic development while fully incorporating social and environmental factors into the project. The significance of these concepts to ULM Relief has become increasingly evident as FEMA and local government agencies engage in the process of re-examining their current pro-forma and explore opportunities for further improvement.
"Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable–to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." World Commission on Environment and Development
The process of developing the SED (Sustainable Economic Development) and translating commitments into results will require learning from past strategies, implementing actions designed to achieve strategic objectives, and ensuring the provision of support mechanisms. Only by doing so can ULM Relief with its partners realistically expects to be an effective participant in the Gulf Coast Project and achieve life changing results for the people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
The approach taken by the ULM Partners as outlined in this document focuses on the long term solution for housing and economic development while fully incorporating social and environmental factors into the project. The significance of these concepts to ULM Relief has become increasingly evident as FEMA and local government agencies engage in the process of re-examining their current pro-forma and explore opportunities for further improvement.
"Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable–to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." World Commission on Environment and Development
The process of developing the SED (Sustainable Economic Development) and translating commitments into results will require learning from past strategies, implementing actions designed to achieve strategic objectives, and ensuring the provision of support mechanisms. Only by doing so can ULM Relief with its partners realistically expects to be an effective participant in the Gulf Coast Project and achieve life changing results for the people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.