Hurricane Katrina

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit just east of New Orleans. While the city survived the storm, a day later its levees broke and allowed Lake Pontchatrain—already swollen by a twenty foot storm surge—to flow into the city. Eighty percent of the city would lay in as much as twelve feet of water for two weeks as giant pumps used to drain the city were repaired. The federally built levees had failed as they were pushed to the limit by the surge that was larger than the state had ever seen because of coastal erosion caused by rising sea levels and canals dug by oil companies. Over 1,000 people died and tens of thousands were trapped in their homes, the Superdome, or the city’s convention center. Almost all of New Orleans’ half-million residents were evacuated to Baton Rouge, Houston, Atlanta, and cities throughout the country. Most residents of the city will have to begin the process of starting their lives all over again as they became a member of the group of citizens who became known as “lost everything.” It is predicted that half of those residents will never return to the city.

New Orleans will be forever changed by this flood. While the old city, the French Quarter and uptown section, survived because they were built on the high ground created by the Mississippi River, the outlying areas where most of its residents lived was destroyed. New Orleans is in a rebuilding phase that some predict will take at least ten years. Many areas of the city may be turned back into green space to absorb future flood waters. Most homes will have to be raised above newly established flood levels. Many wonder if New Orleans will ever recover from this tragedy. But if the spirit of its people prevails, the new New Orleans will be even better than the old.

A plan for mixed income housing may help its people get along better than in the past. Plans for a nearly billion dollar Jazz park may bring more tourists to the city to learn about America’s music. And a plan for a long overdue restructuring of the New Orleans public schools will give hope to those who live in the city and lower its crime rate and high drug usage. Out of this crisis may come an opportunity for New Orleans to become a model city—an even better and more exciting place than before the storm.