Hurricane Katrina & Disaster Relief for Schools

Aid for schools affected by natural disasters and other crises..

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Hurricane Katrina devastated schools along much of the Gulf Coast. This photo shows what remains of the middle school in Pass Christian, Mississippi. (Photo by FEMA/Mark Wolfe.) Hurricane Katrina formed on August 23, 2005, over the Bahamas in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the costliest, as well as one of the deadliest, hurricanes in the history of the United States. The sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded - and the third-strongest hurricane that's made landfall - Katrina was the deadliest U.S. hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane. Nearly 2,000 people lost their lives in the hurricane and related floods. The hurricane caused the most severe damage along the north-central Gulf Coast in Mississippi - devastating Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, and Pascagoula. In Louisiana, the New Orleans flood protection system failed in 53 different places. Almost every levee in metro New Orleans breached as Hurricane Katrina passed east of the city, subsequently flooding 80 percent of the city and many neighboring parishes. The storm is estimated to have been responsible for $81.2 billion in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

Our hope is that these programs will help students and schools affected not only by Hurricane Katrina - but also any major crisis - return to normalcy as soon, and as efficiently, as possible.

Rebuilding Our Schools

The "Rebuilding Schools" program is geared toward helping school districts obtain necessary classroom furniture and equipment - such as computers, desks, chairs and chalkboards - as they prepare to reopen following a natural disaster or other crisis. It makes school furniture, equipment and supplies available to school districts through donations and special Disaster Relief Pricing. In addition, two percent of  profits are donated to the Red Cross Hurricane 2005 Relief Fund.

If your school has specific needs, all you need to do is send us a Wish List. Your Wish List will be posted online (similar to a gift registry) so that users can identify which items are needed, and by whom. Then, we will work hard to locate the items for you.

State governments, school districts and other organizations with needs should contact Tomorrow's Classroom for more information.

Pass Christian School District

Pass Christian School District - devastated by Hurricane Katrina - is just one of the school systems that received help through our "Rebuilding Schools" program. The school district was one of the most devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The picture (above left) shows the remains of the middle school's auditorium.

In some cases, we were able to match items on Pass Christian's Wish List with donations. Remaining items (and those that must be purchased new) were made available at near-invoice pricing.

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Click here to view a PDF documentary of Pass Christian - sent as a personal thank you to all the organizations that helped them rebuild after the storm. (Converted from PowerPoint due to size.)

Sponsor a Child Program

The "Sponsor A Child Program" worked in conjunction with Kare 4 Kidz (http://www.kare4kidz.org) and other charity organizations to collect school supplies and distribute them to students in need. Our Web site featured a backpack kit that could be purchased by any site visitor. The backpacks, stuffed with school supplies, were distributed to students through partner organizations.

If you would like to create a customized "Sponsor a Child" program for your organization, please contact Tomorrow's Classroom for more information.

Leading the School Furniture and Supplies Marketplace

Melanie Broemsen, founder of Tomorrow's Classroom, was the first in the Educational Furniture and Supplies market to respond after Hurricane Katrina. She quickly developed the "Rebuilding Schools" program, as well as a "Sponsor a Child Program. Broemsen spent a great deal of time posting Wish Lists and working with charities and other volunteers to identify specific school district needs, then locating / matching donations and coordinating delivery logistics.

Other classroom furniture suppliers soon followed Broemsen's lead by offering discounted pricing and other aid to schools affected by Hurricane Katrina.