Overview

• The latest retrospectives connect the 2005 disaster to present policy, noting reports that President Donald Trump has proposed cutting FEMA and, according to some coverage, even abolishing the agency.
• FEMA employees warn that shrinking or eliminating the federal disaster agency would slow response times and worsen outcomes during major storms.
• Recent floods in Texas that left numerous people dead have sharpened concerns about preparedness during a warming climate.
• Katrina’s devastation stemmed from levee failures that flooded most of New Orleans, killed roughly 1,300–1,400 people, and displaced residents across the United States.
• More than 1.2 million people were scattered nationwide, with poorer, predominantly Black neighborhoods—such as the Lower Ninth Ward—suffering lasting population loss despite post-storm investments in defenses and planning.