“I look forward to working with Secretary Donovan and our partners across the federal government to build on this progress and find new ways to strengthen our disaster recovery programs.” "It is vital to our success that disaster recovery professionals and stakeholders provide their input as we move forward to improve disaster recovery efforts across the country ... No communities have more to share on disaster recovery than the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast so it is fitting that our first Stakeholder Forum engages leaders from these communities. These forums aim to give everyone involved in disaster recovery a voice in shaping how we respond, and then rebuild and revitalize communities in the wake of disaster." The forums are one of the many avenues the Working Group has made available to allow stakeholders to provide direct input and ideas for disaster recovery; articulate objectives for recovery assistance going forward; identify examples of best practices; raise challenges and obstacles to success; and share thoughts, experiences and lessons learned. Full Article at Department of Homeland Security