In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Wright focussed on outreach and training programmes for the African-American community in New Orleans. She has worked to support displaced residents in returning to their homes, working with policy makers to address issues surrounding environmental restoration. Hurricane Katrina's flooding resulted in lead saturation in New Orleans soil. Wright showed that lead exposure was particularly bad in areas where there were significant numbers of Black families. She worked with American steelworkers to design a programme known as "A Safe Way Back Home", which looks to clean abandoned homes and neighbourhoods of pollutants. The DSCEJ were involved with the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.