Experts Offer Rebuilding Perspectives On "Katrina: One Year Later

It's been almost one year since Hurricane Katrina hit land, triggering the catastrophic loss of life and damage of property along the coastlines of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) faculty experts are available to comment on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and lessons learned from the natural disaster.

David Jan Cowan is an architect and assistant professor of architectural technology in the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI. He teaches courses in residential and commercial construction as well as building systems. He is the University's faculty mentor of Engineers without Borders and has been involved with post disaster projects in New Orleans and in Indonesia.

"Disasters typically leave many without homes, communities and familiar built environments. First responders to these disasters offer shelter in the form of temporary dwellings (e.g., tents), often followed by hasty, short-sighted attempts to provide more permanent living conditions (e.g., trailers).

"This second wave of response often falls short of providing a sense of community, local involvement, improved disaster resistant shelters and a direction focused upon sustainable and environmentally sensitive solutions. My area of research falls into this second, transitional phase and looks at providing forward looking, sustainable and green solutions for the victims of these disasters." " David Jan Cowan