The National Hurricane Museum and Science Center will be an important catalyst for Louisiana's recovery and economic development efforts in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  It will educate, encourage and motivate young and old in the fields of meteorology; the environment; sociology; safety; conservation; economics; history; communications; and engineering. As all have recently learned, hurricanes cause socio-economic shifts and changes in our national and global economy.  Developing a center dedicated to natural disaster research, then acting on this research will be a benefit to the nation and the entire world.