BILOXI - April 4, 2006 - When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, Knight Foundation’s immediate response was to send $1 million for emergency relief to the Knight community of Biloxi, Miss.

But the foundation saw the need to do more, and just a week after the hurricane, Knight President Alberto Ibargüen and Vice President Mike Maidenberg, both former newspapermen, did what journalists do. They discovered for themselves the extent of Katrina’s destruction.

Since then, Knight Foundation has worked to help the Mississippi Gulf Coast lift its sights from the immediacy of the devastation. Along with Netscape founder and Mississippian Jim Barksdale, Knight Foundation worked with Gov. Haley Barbour to fund 11 public design forums on the Gulf Coast, attended by thousands of Mississippians and a national and local army of planners and engineers.

Now, with a blueprint for rebuilding, the real heavy lifting begins. And Knight Foundation’s work in Biloxi continues.

Mississippi Renewal Forum Resources

Mississippi Renewal Forum Summary Report (PDF)
Mississippi Renewal Forum Web Site

Photography by Gus Powell for Knight Foundation