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Governor seeks comments on recovery
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| By: SCOTT TYNES, DAILY LEADER Staff Writer |
November 28, 2005 |
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The Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal will host a town hall meeting for residents of Lincoln, Copiah and Hinds counties in the Brookhaven High School Auditorium Monday at 7 p.m.
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The meeting will offer citizens an opportunity to provide input and ideas on rebuilding and recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina.
"We've been having them all over the state, but especially on the coast and other areas that were damaged," said Will Longwitz, the commission's communications director.
The Governor's Commission was formed shortly after Hurricane Katrina by Gov. Haley Barbour to develop a broad vision for a better South Mississippi. The commission is focused on giving local leaders access to ideas and information that will help them decide what their region will look like in the future.
The number of people attending past town hall meetings across the state has been surprising, Longwitz said. The smallest gathering was in Meridian, which received only light damage. It drew about 50 people.
"The quality of the conversation has been good regardless of the size of the turnout," he said. "We hope to guide conversations but let people talk about what they want or need to in preparing for the next storm."
Although the commission is primarily focused on the future, some citizens have requested some immediate information regarding insurance or questions about the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
A representative that can speak on those matters will be present Monday, but Longwitz said that "most of those attending have understood that the Governor's Commission is about the long term."
The commission has received good feedback in previous meetings and Longwitz said he expects the same Monday. The focus of most inland counties has seemed to be on timber, failed sewage systems, evacuation routes needing better management and coordination among responders, he said.
Information gathered during the town hall meetings will be compiled for a report to the governor on Dec. 31. Longwitz said they hope to complete the initial report by mid-December.
In addition, he said, "there will be a report compiled of each meeting so that every region of the state will have its own issues featured."
Reports on agriculture, tourism and education are already drafted, he said. Additional information from other meetings will be added as it is gathered.
Once Barbour has reviewed the report, it will be released to the public, Longwitz said.
"We don't expect any major legislative changes resulting immediately from this," he said.
Instead, Longwitz said, the reports serve as guidelines for cities to refer to in the months and years ahead to prepare for and respond to future disasters.
For those unable to attend Monday's meeting, Longwitz said comments can be submitted on the commission's Web site at www.governorscommission.com for inclusion in the report.
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©The Daily Leader 2009
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