"Tomorrow, five years will have passed since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Mississippi and Louisiana shorelines, taking the lives of over 1,800 people and causing more than $81 billion of damage. Although new challenges - from a tragic oil spill to a nationwide economic recession - have captured the headlines in the region, we have not forgotten those who lost their loved ones, their livelihoods, and their homes in the storm.
In five years, great progress has been made: metro New Orleans has recovered more than 90 percent of its population and 85 percent of its jobs. Musicians and artists are returning in droves. Infrastructure has been built stronger than ever before. Children are learning more in their schools. But there is still work to be done. People still need jobs, education and training, and the assurance that what happened five years ago will never happen again.
I've tried to do what I can to help. After the storm, I teamed up with President George H.W. Bush to raise money for relief efforts. Our Bush Clinton Katrina Fund (BCKF) raised over $130 million, which we awarded to projects that have rebuilt schools and libraries, rehabilitated housing, created jobs, provided health services, put kids back in school, and protected the region's rich culture.
In addition, my Foundation has been involved in a number of post-disaster efforts, including helping local residents access the earned income tax credits they deserved; advising the City of New Orleans on incorporating clean energy into their plans; and holding our first Clinton Global Initiative meeting for university students at Tulane University in 2008. Members of our Clinton Global Initiative, including Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation, have made incredible commitments that are improving lives, homes, and communities in the Gulf region.
In five years, the Gulf Coast has come back in a way that inspires great confidence and optimism in me as I work with the people of Haiti after the earthquake. We are employing many of the lessons we've learned from Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami, including forging strong coordination among NGOs, governments, the private sector and private citizens, which was key to the success in New Orleans.
But more than just a model for recovery, New Orleans and the Gulf Coast give the people of Haiti the hope that in just five years, great progress can be made. And if we work together, just as we did after Katrina, we can not only build Haiti back - we can build it back better."
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