Joplin Tornado Survivors Seek Lessons From Katrina

A group of community leaders from the tornado-ravaged town of Joplin, Mo., is seeking disaster-recovery lessons from their Louisiana counterparts who lived through Hurricane Katrina more than six years ago.

A busload of two dozen bank executives, hospital administrators and church workers rode through the night to arrive in New Orleans early Thursday morning. They plan to spend the day helping to rebuild homes in the Gentilly and Mid-City neighborhoods under the guidance of the nonprofit St. Bernard Project.

The trip is sponsored by Rebuild Joplin, a group affiliated with the New Orleans nonprofit.

On Friday, the Joplin contingent will tour the St. Bernard Project’s mental health clinic and meet with local advocates before boarding the charter bus for the 12-hour ride home.