Katrina's Intuitive Warnings

Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, causing widespread devastation and approximately 1,200 deaths in Louisiana and Mississippi. The storm exposed numerous failures in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.

A Costly Reconstruction

In the aftermath of Katrina, Congress and the president invested billions of dollars in rebuilding flood-protection infrastructure. The region's flood-protection system, built by the federal government's Army Corps of Engineers, failed during the hurricane, leading to this extensive investment.

Tragedies in Texas and Louisiana

The floods in Texas's hill country claimed at least 134 lives, including two teenage counselors and 26 campers at Camp Mystic in Kerr County. In Louisiana, the deaths at Camp Mystic were preventable, as the camp's owners knowingly allowed defenseless children to sleep in a floodplain, and state regulators did not require a realistic, rehearsed evacuation plan.

Leadership Challenges

Louisiana's governor, Kathleen Blanco, and mayor, Ray Nagin, faced criticism for delayed evacuation orders and inadequate preparation. They were accused of underestimating Katrina's severity, logistical challenges, and coordination failures between state and federal agencies, which hindered timely evacuation and positioning of National Guard troops.

The City's Struggles

New Orleans, a city that had been losing population for decades, experienced a further decline in population after Katrina. Today, it has about 363,000 residents, fewer than before the storm. The city's economy also struggled, with fewer private-sector jobs today than in 2004, the year before the hurricane. New Orleans is more dependent on tourism now than it was before Katrina, but it has 9% fewer leisure and hospitality jobs today than it did in 2004.

Other Challenges and Controversies

The city's failure to protect Bourbon Street revelers with functional anti-vehicle bollards is indicative of its general negligence. The city faced a terror attack on New Year's Day, resulting in 14 deaths on Bourbon Street. The attack was perpetrated by an ISIS-aligned killer.

Initially, local officials spread tales of crime and looting hampering rescues, but many of these rumors were later found to be false. The image of people on rooftops waiting for rescue during Katrina is misleading, as many of them had broken through their own roofs to escape the storm.

Lessons Learned and Moving Forward

The Bush administration took responsibility for the failures during Katrina, with Bush himself accepting criticism. The financial crisis of 2008 and the lockdown-induced social disintegration of 2020 have demonstrated a lack of long-term responsibility from current leaders. However, the resilience of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in the face of adversity offers a testament to the spirit of the communities affected by Katrina.

Texas governor Greg Abbott described assigning blame as "for losers." Instead, the focus should be on learning from the past and working together to build a stronger, more resilient future.