Overview

• Stronger flood defenses and the return of visitors contrast with stalled neighborhood recovery nearly two decades on.
• The Lower Ninth Ward counts about 5,000 residents versus roughly 15,000 before the storm, with vacant lots and condemned houses still visible.
• The Port of New Orleans has proposed a grain terminal linked by rail through the area, and homeowners fear it could hinder efforts to attract new residents.
• An LSU-cited survey reflects sharp racial divides in how recovery is perceived, with most white residents seeing overall improvement and many Black residents not.
• New retrospectives, including a Spike Lee–produced Netflix documentary, refocus attention on levee failures, roughly 1,800 deaths, and long-term displacement.