NEW ORLEANS — August 29th is a day that Louisianans will remember forever.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm. It would be one of the most deadly and costly natural disasters in our nation's history.
The federal levees broke. New Orleans and its surrounding areas flooded.
Close to 1,400 known people died, but many bodies were never identified.
The economic damage totaled roughly $125 Billion.
In St. Bernard, parish leaders, and loved ones gather each year on the banks of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet at the Katrina Memorial to honor the lives lost.
Katrina not only changed the landscape in St. Bernard, but it also changed the demographics. Half of its residents were displaced.
Nearly 20 years later, St. Bernard has made a comeback. The population was 72,000, and it has grown to around 50,000 in recent years.
Then, on August 29, 2021, Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc on Southeast Louisiana as a Category 4 storm.
Three years later, Terrebonne Parish still has more than 400 residents living in temporary homes, the parish president said.
Not to mention, Ida sparked a homeowners insurance crisis that residents across SELA are still fighting.
Reminders of the storms are around every corner, from blighted buildings to blue tarps.
The wounds may never fully heal, but the spirit of Louisiana will live forever.
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