Overview

• New Orleans held wreath-laying ceremonies, music and a second-line parade, including tributes at the Charity Hospital Cemetery for victims who were never identified.
• Authorities and reports reaffirm about 1,392 deaths and roughly $200 billion in damage, which NOAA still lists as the costliest U.S. hurricane.
• Post-storm investigations underscore that failures in the federal levee system flooded about 80% of the city, with waters taking weeks to recede.
• Meteorological analyses detail two rapid-intensification bursts, a Gulf peak near 175 mph, and a Category 3 landfall in Plaquemines Parish with 125 mph winds.
• Coverage revisits displacement and inequity, noting New Orleans’ population near 384,000, disproportionate losses for Black residents, and ongoing debates over preparedness and FEMA’s role.