After a disaster, huge sums of money trickle down and change hands to fund debris cleanup, repairs, reconstruction, and more. Where all this money goes, and how projects are prioritized, is important to understand as rebuilding gets underway.
Below are tips on how to track disaster spending in your own community, plus resources and websites where you can download public records and other information. We’ve also included guiding questions to ask local policymakers, government agencies, and community groups.
How to track public spending:
Stay informed. Attend your local city council, county commission, and school board meetings. If structures like schools and city buildings are destroyed, your county or city will designate funds for repairs and rebuilds. By attending meetings and asking questions, you can stay updated and make sure local officials are spending money on the things that should be prioritized first.
Here’s an example from Southerly, which hired residents of Lake Charles, Louisiana, to take notes at meetings and write about the patterns they saw after Hurricane Laura.
