This series of six reports examines the economic effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the economy of the Gulf Coast and document the economic recovery of affected states, localities and industries during the two years following the hurricanes. The first report was issued in October 2005, approximately two months after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast. The final report, issued in January 2008, provided a description of economic progress that had occurred in the Gulf Coast after two years. The reports, responding to the long-term economic recovery function of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the President’s Gulf Coast Recovery Council, include descriptions of Federal aid to the affected areas; changes in population, employment, housing, and industrial output; and its re-composition in the affected states. Changes in the value of goods exported and imported through the Gulf ports, and the re-distribution of trade flows, during the two years after the hurricanes are also monitored. Finally, each report tracks recovery efforts in several industries that were directly or indirectly affected by the hurricanes including insurance, travel and tourism, gaming, energy, and fisheries.
Note: The earlier reports contain data and information that have been revised and updated in later reports. The result is that data between reports may not be consistent.