The greater New Orleans area has yet to fully recover from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall on August 29, 2005. One issue of concern in the recovery is the availability of mental health services for children. It is estimated that in 2008 about 187,000 children were living in the greater New Orleans area. Many children in the greater New Orleans area experienced psychological trauma as a result of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, and studies have shown that such trauma can have long-lasting behavioral, psychological, and emotional effects on children. The author presents testimony in which she discusses the protection of children during disaster recovery and provides highlights of the July 2009 report entitled "Hurricane Katrina: Barriers to Mental Health Services for Children Persist in Greater New Orleans, Although Federal Grants Are Helping to Address Them." Her statement is based on this report, which (1) identified barriers to providing and barriers to obtaining mental health services for children in the greater New Orleans area; and (2) described how federal programs, including grant programs, address barriers to providing and to obtaining mental health services for children. (Contains 2 tables and 10 footnotes.)