Hurricane Recovery: A Forgotten Priority?

By Terry M. Neal
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 30, 2005; 9:09 AM

The television cameras have mostly left the Gulf Coast, but the region continues to reel from the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

More than two months after the storms, leaders in both political parties seemingly have backed away from some of their initial pledges to support reconstruction whatever the cost. As Manuel Roig-Franzia and Ceci Connolly wrote in The Washington Post on Tuesday, "financial aid from Washington, once expected to reach $200 billion, has stalled out at about $70 billion."

The Congressional Black Caucus, seeking to jumpstart the recovery effort and reassure the region's residents that Washington has not forgotten them, has unveiled a comprehensive proposal to aide the poor and other vulnerable citizens most affected by the storms.