Hurricane Katrina Stories

This photograph of a flood-displaced toddler practicing walking was on display in the Hurricane Katrina Foundation in New Orleans, which I recently visited. As a refresher, Hurricane Katrina blew through New Orleans in 2005, causing $100B in damages. Omar Casimir, the Foundation founder who is also a survivor, gave me a personal tour and explained why honoring those lost has become his life mission.

It’s well-documented that the devastation was caused by engineering flaws in the city’s levees. More than 800,000 homes were destroyed and 36,000 people evacuated to the Superdome or New Orleans Convention Center. Fewer than 2,000 fatalities were in the official count yet it’s widely known that that number is far from accurate as 80% of the city was under water.

I spent several hours looking at the exhibits and learning about the exceptional ways the people of New Orleans came together post Katrina. Yes, it was sobering but I left the Foundation inspired and eager to get back to my work helping people share their stories.