Students present 2-1-1 hurricane study
findings to directors of relief agencies

Students at Texas A&M participating in a research project documenting the unmet needs of people fleeing hurricanes Rita and Katrina in 2005 presented the study's findings to directors of relief agencies at an April 16 conference.

The $750,000, three-year study, led by Sherry Bame, professor of urban planning, is being funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Bame and a team of student researchers, who began the project in 2009, coded more than 635,000 records of calls to Texas' 25 regional 2-1-1 centers before, during and after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

2-1-1 is a nationwide number for people with nonemergency needs, connecting callers with services such as food banks, clothing providers, shelters, rent and utility assistance, and services for the elderly, ill, disabled, or those unable to afford existing community resources. In Texas, 2-1-1 is an integral part of the state’s emergency management system.

At the conference, which took place at the Langford Architecture Center, Bame and students made presentations to an audience of United Way directors from Houston, Austin, the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and other Texas cities.

Leaders from Brazos Valley community agencies that work closely with 2-1-1 disaster management and community support services were also at the gathering.

Read more about the study.

- Posted: May 3, 2010 -