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GUESTS: Brenda Dardar-Robichaux, Principal Chief of the United Houma Nation, and Cecilia Munoz, Vice President of The National Council of La Raza

One year ago, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated many communities in the states of Louisana and Mississippi. Among those deeply impacted were the small Houma Indian settlements in lower Plaquemines, lower St. Bernard, and lower Jefferson parishes. The population of these Indian settlements, some 3500 tribal citizens, was hit hard by the storm. Over one thousand people were left homeless, their homes completely destroyed by wind and water. Meanwhile, several hundred thousand Latinos and immigrants living in Louisana and the Gulf region also suffered. Many of them did not receive adequate information or assistance from the federal government or private agencies. Monolingual relief workers made life and death decisions regarding access to aid, housing, medical care and other necessities, often denying benefits to deserving and eligible individuals, or exposing them to immigration enforcement. Today we continue our week long coverage of Katrina with a look at how Native American, and Latino and immigrant communities were affected by the storm, and how they have been recovering.

For more information, visit www.unitedhoumanation.org, and www.nclr.org.