The 13th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina brings a national moment of reflection on the damage and devastation that happened in Louisiana.
The storm made landfall on August 29, 2005, destroying homes and upending the lives of many of New Orleans’ Black residents. Speeding winds and heavy floods spread as Katrina barreled through the city. After the storm was over, an estimated 1,577 people had lost their lives in Louisiana, with about 1,300 deaths directly related to flooding or wind, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm reached other states as well: Another 238 people died in Mississippi. There were 14 related deaths in Florida, one in Kentucky and two each in Alabama and Georgia. The total number of deaths was 1,833.
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In terms of financial costs, Katrina was responsible for $41.1 billion of insured losses in the United States, according to the American Insures Services Group (AISG). The estimated insured loss from flooding was $25.8 billion, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) reported. An estimate of $108 billion in total damages was caused by Katrina.
Dozens of people were displaced, with 1.2 million people along the northern Gulf coast from southeastern Louisiana to Alabama under some type of evacuation order during the storm. Many had no home to return to after the hurricane. Here are some snapshots from Katrina.
1. Dangerous Conditions Brought By Katrina
A fallen tree caused by Hurricane Katrina.
2. Areas Destroyed By Katrina
A beach-front neighborhood in Gulfport, Mississippi was ravaged by the storm.
3. Fats Domino’s Studio in Lower Ninth Ward After Katrina
The studio was damaged due to massive floodwaters brought by the hurricane.
4. Homes Wrecked By Katrina
Family photos hang on a line to dry out in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi on August 30, 2005.
5. Post-Katrina Work Begins
City workers sawing fallen trees caused by Hurricane Katrina.
6. Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina 2005
Troops patrolled in the mandatorily evacuated city of New Orleans amidst looted and burned stores in September 2005.
7. Memorial Erected For Katrina Victims
Artist Sally Heller’s ‘Scrap House’ memorial was built in front of the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on August 29, 2017.
