08/29/2026
Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast just 21 years ago on August 29, 2005, becoming the costliest natural disaster in United States history. The storm devastated parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, causing catastrophic flooding primarily due to the failure of the levee system protecting New Orleans.
Hurricane Katrina did not just destroy buildings; it tore at the very fabric of our communities, washing away lifetimes of memories, family heirlooms, and the comforting predictability of daily life. As someone who spent years helping neighbors protect what they love, witnessing the sheer scale of that loss was profoundly heartbreaking. It reminded all of us that while some things are genuinely irreplaceable, the stability to start over is something we can—and must—safeguard.