Katrina, Five Years Later

Five years since hurricance Katrina, federal agencies continue to maintain websites supporting their work as to the storm that destroyed the Louisiana coast. NOAA's Hurricane Katrina page includes photos, maps, impact on the region, and response. The White House's recent blog Hurricane Katrina: Five Years of Remembering & Rebuilding features additional links and blog posts. The Bureau of Labor Statistics maintains a page on the impact of Katrina on the economy and employment.

HealthCare.gov

As of July, many previously uninsurable citizens are now able to sign up for health care under the new Obama Health Plan, but so far, very few have signed up. Many feel that the currently uninsured will still not be able to afford health care, and many are uninformed about the benefits of the plan. For more information on the new plan, see HealthCare.gov.

BP Oil Spill Information

NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is the nation's leading scientific resource for oil spills. The Office of Response and Restoration has numerous factsheets on its webpage which include information on dispersants, shoreline cleanup, sea turtles, using booms in response to spills, etc. There are also publications on fisheries, assessment and restoration, and trajectory maps.

Country Reports on Terrorism

The U.S. Department of State recently released its annual report on terrorism, Country Reports on Terrorism 2009. The report discusses terrorism around the globe, with sections covering different parts of the world (e.g. Africa, Europe East Asia, Mididle East, etc.). Also included are reports on safe havens, international conferences on terrorism, lists of terrorist organizations, and statistics on deaths and injuries related to terrorism. Older reports are also available. For the complete report see the State Department website.

End of Combat Operations

When President Obama took office in January 2009, there were 144,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. At his Camp Lejeune speech on February 27, 2009, President Obama announced that the United States would end its combat mission on August 31, 2010, and retain a transitional force of up to 50,000 U.S. troops to train and advise Iraqi Security Forces; conduct partnered and targeted counter-terrorism operations; and protect ongoing U.S. civilian and military efforts. For more information see the August 2, 2010 press release from the White House.