Literacy Programs Responding to Communities in Crisis

We are all too well aware of the devastation wrought by hurricane Katrina. As is often the case in any crisis, those who are least able to deal with it are impacted the most severely. Adult literacy programs in the Gulf Region were no exception to this rule.

The impact of the two hurricanes on the region has been dramatic in terms of loss of life, community infrastructure and support. During this period it has become clear that education and long-term resettlement are important elements to long-term recovery for the area. ProLiteracy America’s recovery focus has been directed at how we can best provide meaningful assistance to the affiliates, programs, and communities affected in the region. To better access the situation and coordinate efforts, ProLiteracy America has formed a hurricane task force of both internal and external representatives to help us in our assessment and response efforts.

One Program's Post-Katrina Office

Following the respective hurricanes, ProLiteracy America staff conducted an initial assessment of impact in the region, considering local programs and key contacts. This initial assessment involved phone and email communications with all known programs, program directors and related colleagues. This indicated that somewhere between ten to fifteen programs out of approximately fifty in the area that ProLiteracy had knowledge of, had been significantly affected. The impact varied widely from the complete cessation of all operations in the areas in and around New Orleans to minimal damage in locations such as Mobile. Additionally, a number of programs in the outlying areas of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and elsewhere, have been assisting in the resettlement of evacuees. These programs have not yet begun providing literacy assistance to evacuees, but it is likely that they will soon and the impact will increase nationwide as the resettlement of New Orleans residents increases.

These initial efforts resulted in ProLiteracy America Executive Director, Peter Waite and Rochelle Cassella of the Public Affairs division conducting an onsite assessment of the gulf region during the week of September 26th. The trip included visits to a number of local affiliates in Pascagoula, MS; Mobile, AL; Biloxi, MS; Slidell, LA; and Baton Rouge, LA. These visits, which also involved meetings with program directors, board members, and a number of tutors, were very helpful in further assessing the magnitude of the recovery process. All of the programs visited received some damage with a number of programs in Biloxi and New Orleans still being completely shutdown with no indication as to the timeline or potential for rebuilding. In addition to the visits, ProLiteracy America sponsored a region wide recovery meeting in Baton Rouge on September 28th. I had an opportunity to attend that meeting representing ProLiteracy America’s Governance Council along with Peter Waite, Barbara Hanley the ProLiteracy Regional Representative, Edith Gower, the Executive Director of Literacy USA and individuals representing Gulf area literacy programs and collaborating agencies.

The on site assessment confirmed our belief that of the fifty or so adult education service providers programs in the area that we had knowledge of, approximately fifteen ProLiteracy affiliates were directly affected with the remaining programs also being impacted to one degree or another by the hurricanes. The major service providers in New Orleans have been completely dislocated. The remaining programs have a variety of individual needs that will require short to medium term assistance to achieve pre-hurricane levels of service. In Pascagoula, Mobile, and Slidell, the need will be for materials and supplies. It is estimated that at least two thousand students were affected in our affiliates with over ten thousand adult students being affected region-wide.

The meeting produced a number of recommendations for short, medium, and long-term recovery. Follow-up actions to this meeting will be initiated by ProLiteracy America in conjunction with our local affiliates. ProLiteracy America has already initiated an application for funding assistance to support in-shelter literacy programs in Baton Rouge. An additional visit to the largest Baton Rouge shelter indicated the potential need for adult literacy during the temporary shelter process. The responses are outlined as follows:

Immediate response:

• Established communication links (email and Web-based) between affected programs and the ProLiteracy America literacy network.
• Established a process for immediate New Readers Press material replacement.
• Developed a customized packet of support material and assistance to all affected programs.
• Active dissemination of stories concerning affected programs to the network.
• Offer of immediate technical assistance for program directors requesting help.

Medium-term response:

• Establishment of a special New Readers Press discount on material for all affected programs.
• Revamping the National Book Scholarship Fund with a focus on hurricane relief.
• Establishment of a special hurricane fund for donations to be distributed to the Gulf regions programs.
• Assistance with programs for reengaging evacuees in adult literacy work.
• Specialized training for Red Cross and other workers assisting the evacuees with limited basic skills.

Long-term response:

• Establishment of a long-term funding mechanism to assist with the rebuilding of programs in New Orleans.
• Technical assistance and strategic planning for rebuilding literacy infrastructure.
• Ongoing communication network via the Web for program development.

It is clear that the recovery for adult literacy programs and infrastructure in the Gulf region will be long-term. Disaster preparedness both on an institutional and individual level will undoubtedly become an integral part of everyone’s planning process. We certainly cannot change the past, but we most certainly can learn from it and improve our response in the future.

Robert Pinhero serves as a Vice Chair of the National Governance Council of ProLiteracy America. He is an independent education & training consultant based in Austin,Texas and has been involved in adult education in almost every capacity for over fifteen years. Robert currently is the President of South Central Literacy Action, a six state nonprofit organization of literacy providers, and is also a Board member of the Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations.