Overview

• Events include a Lower Ninth Ward gathering, a minute of silence at 11:20 a.m., a wreath-laying for unidentified victims, and cultural programs, with local leaders seeking state-holiday status for the anniversary.
• Katrina remains the costliest U.S. storm at roughly $200 billion in damages as federal levee failures inundated about 80% of the city and forced mass sheltering in the Superdome and convention center.
• The city’s population is about 384,000 after large-scale displacement, with many Black residents unable to return amid criticized rebuilding policies and a persistent shortage of affordable housing.
• Despite post-storm upgrades, flood defenses face sinking land and rapid coastal wetlands loss, and reported staffing cuts and overhauls at FEMA and NOAA have raised concerns about future disaster readiness.
• New documentaries and reporting revisit long-term harms, including youth mental-health impacts and uneven recovery, and spotlight contested efforts such as Make It Right, which reached a $20.5 million settlement in 2022.