The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Today, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund released a report entitled, “Counting in the Wake of a Catastrophe.”  The report, released on the eve of the four-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, outlines a set of recommendations for achieving a fair and accurate count for the 2010 Census on the Gulf Coast.

The census determines the allocation of hundreds of millions of federal dollars, which go to fund public infrastructures such as transportation, roads, hospitals, and schools.  An undercount of the Gulf Coast population would cost the region millions of dollars, and would be detrimental to towns that are already struggling financially post-Katrina.

This video, featuring residents of Mississippi and Louisiana, explains why an accurate count in the 2010 Census is crucial for Katrina-impacted areas.