After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the American Red Cross realized that no single entity had the capacity to comprehensively and effectively respond to the massive human needs and sweeping public demand for service following a natural disaster. They engaged a diverse group of community partners and collaborative representatives in a process to develop a better understanding of their individual and collective roles, responsibilities, and capabilities and to determine better systems for engaging diverse and disenfranchised populations. Community Science was a participating partner in this effort and facilitated the development of an action plan for more effective collaborative disaster response to diverse and disenfranchised populations. Community Science worked with the American Red Cross and other community partners to 1) develop a strategy to engage the chief executive officers of organizations active in responding to aftermath of the two hurricanes, and 2) generate Guiding Principles for Working with Community Partners during Disaster Community Science first became involved in responding to the hurricane disasters of 2005 by setting up a website on community responses to Katrina and Rita.
