Katrina and the Guiding Principles in Internal Displacement

The Institute for Southern Studies reports on "Hurricane Katrina and the Guiding Principles in Internal Displacement."

A Global Human Rights Perspective on a National Disaster
January 2008

Hurricane Katrina was not only a domestic tragedy: The U.S. government's insufficient efforts to prevent families from being uprooted, its inadequate emergency response, and the still-lagging recovery are at odds with internationally recognized human rights principles that the Bush administration has promoted in other countries.

That's the finding of "Hurricane Katrina and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement" (pdf), a new reportby the Institute for Southern Studies.

The report is the first in-depth look at how closely U.S. officials abided by the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement in the wake of Katrina. The United Nations adopted the Principles in 1998 to protect the rights of people uprooted by war, storms and other calamities.

"Leaders in Washington have embraced the U.N. Guiding Principles for helping disaster victims abroad," said Chris Kromm, co-author of the study and Institute director. "But there's serious concern that the Principles continue to be ignored at home in the Gulf Coast."