by Jessica Burch Hembree

Municipal leaders from cities and towns across the nation have responded by looking for opportunities to contribute to the recovery and rebuilding efforts of Gulf Coast communities impacted by Hurricane Katrina. 

During the next several months, as the focus gradually shifts from rescue and recovery to longer-term restoration of families and the communities in which they lived, the potential for city officials to lend their resources, expertise and leadership to this cause will grow exponentially.

The next free hour-long audioconference sponsored by NLC?s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families will focus on the long-term issues facing cities directly hit by Hurricane Katrina. The audioconference will take place on Thursday, October 20, 2005, at 12:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). 

Content
Titled ?Responding to Hurricane Katrina: Keys to Recovery and Disaster Prevention,? the audioconference will highlight how cities are assisting Katrina evacuees and long-term issues of the impact of the children and families just beginning to return to devastated communities.

In addition, the audioconference will offer municipal officials and other community leaders the opportunity to think about planning ahead to ensure that children and families in their communities are protected and cared for should natural or other disasters strike.

Speakers
The lead speakers will be Baton Rouge, La., Mayor L. ?Kip? Holden and George Haddow, adjunct professor at the George Washington University Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management and principal in Bullock & Haddow ? a consulting firm to municipalities and other organizations.

Mayor Holden will discuss in depth his city?s experiences in dealing with the crisis of Hurricane Katrina.
Haddow will share his experiences as a former deputy chief of staff for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, particularly the multitude of issues facing children and families in the wake of tragedy.

How the Audioconference Works
This audioconference is free, but it is available only to a limited number of participants. Therefore, advance registration is required by close of business on Tuesday, October 18, 2005. A separate registration is needed for each phone line that will be used in listening to the call.

Some registrants gather a group of people together around a speaker phone and use the call as a springboard for a brainstorming meeting or as a training session.

One day prior to the event, each audioconference registrant will receive an e-mail or fax message that will provide a toll-free, dial-in number to call in order to join the audioconference.

How to Register
To register, please e-mail or fax your name, title, organization, mailing address (including street, city, state and zip), telephone, fax and e-mail. Please specify the audioconference topic for which you are registering. No telephone registrations can be accepted. You may e-mail Melissa Rogers at rogers@nlc.org or fax her at (202) 626-3043.

To submit questions to the speakers in advance, use the same e-mail or fax contact listed above.