A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later

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Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later BILOXI, MS - SEPTEMBER 04: Parishioner Chloe Guice Wise (R) hugs Mark Washburn at the conclusion of services at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer (shown in background) which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina September 4, 2005 in Biloxi, Mississippi. The congregation gathered on the ruins of the church for the first service since the hurricane struck. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 31: A stranded dog runs on a church rooftop in high water after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area August 31, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Devastation is widespread throughout the city with water approximately 12 feet high in some areas. Hundreds are feared dead and thousands were left homeless in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida by the storm. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later GULFPORT, MS - SEPTEMBER 1: Firefighter Jerome Crenshaw wipes sweat away during a break from the recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina September 1, 2005 in Gulfport, Mississippi. Crenshaw is from the Miami, Florida area and he came along with other firefighters from across the country to assist in the recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Caldero plans to work for a couple of weeks before transitioning out. (Photo by Ross Taylor/Getty Images) (Ross Taylor/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 09: Holdout Holly Gee cooks a meal for other holdouts September 9, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A group of holdouts in the community have banded together following Hurricane Katrina as they vow to remain in New Orleans despite orders to evacuate. Most in the community feel they are better off staying in their neighborhood than in a faraway shelter. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 09: Holdout Harold Gee waves to a military helicopter as he stands on the deck of a partially destroyed club that now serves as the de facto community center September 9, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A group of holdouts in the community have banded together following Hurricane Katrina as they vow to remain in New Orleans despite orders to evacuate. Most in the community feel they are better off staying in their neighborhood than in a faraway shelter. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later BRAITHWAITE, LA - SEPTEMBER 9: A statue stands outside of a house while rescue workers from the Orange County California Task Force 5 check for people after Hurricane Katrina on September 9, 2005 in Braithwaite, Louisiana. Thousands of residents of the Gulf Coast are still without electricity or access to basic amenities after the devastating hurricane swept through the area twelve days ago, likely claiming the lives of thousands. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 5: In this handout from the Federal Emergency Managment Agency (FEMA), former U.S. President Bill Clinton visits Hurricane Katrina evacuees at a Red Cross shelter in the Reliant Center at the Reliant Park September 5, 2005 in Houston Texas. Clinton and former U.S. President George H.W. Bush have launched a fund raising effort to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. (Photo by Andrea Booher/FEMA via Getty Images) (Handout/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 09: Holdout Kevin Hanson jumps into the murky pool of a partially destroyed club that now serves as the de facto community center September 9, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hanson occasionally puts chlorine in the pool in an attempt to keep it clean. A group of holdouts in the community have banded together following Hurricane Katrina as they vow to remain in New Orleans despite orders to evacuate. Most in the community feel they are better off staying in their neighborhood than in a faraway shelter. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later IN FLIGHT- AUGUST 30: The damaged roof from Hurricane Katrina of the Louisiana Superdome is seen August 30, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Approximately 100 people are feared dead and estimates put the property loss at nearly $30 billion as Hurricane Katrina could become the costliest storm in US history. It is estimated that 80 percent of New Orleans is under flood waters as levees begin to break and leak around Lake Ponchartrain. (Photo by Dave Einsel/Getty Images) (Dave Einsel/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 1: Evacuees from the New Orleans area take shelter in the Reliant Astrodome September 1, 2005 in Houston, Texas. Red Cross officials claimed 5000 evacuees had made it to the Astrodome by early afternoon. Thousands of people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina will be moved to the stadium as shelters, including the Superdome in New Orleans, become untenable. (Photo by Dave Einsel/Getty Images) (Dave Einsel/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 30: A woman is rescued from a school rooftop after being trapped with dozens of others in high water in Orleans parish during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina August 30, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Katrina made landfall as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds in excess of 135 mph. The school, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology in the Lower 9th Ward, closed since Katrina swept through in 2005 leaving it under 14 feet of water. The school finally re-opened August 13, 2007 to older students and on August 20 served as the first day for kindergarten and pre-K. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 31: A Military truck drives down a flooded Canal St. August 31, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Devastation is widespread throughout the city with water approximately 12 feet high in some areas. Hundreds are feared dead and thousands were left homeless in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida by the storm. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (Mark Wilson/Getty Images NA)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 29: In this handout photo, Flooded neigborhoods can be seen as the Coast Guard conducts initial Hurricane Katrina damage assessment overflights August 29, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Others watch from below as the children are among many New Orleans citizens to be rescued from their rooftops due to flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina. Katrina made landfall as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds in excess of 135 mph. (Photo by Kyle Niemi/US Coast Guard via Getty Images) (Handout/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 29: In this handout photo, flooded roadways can be seen as the Coast Guard conducts initial Hurricane Katrina damage assessment over flights August 29, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Katrina made landfall as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds in excess of 135 mph. (Photo by Kyle Niemi/US Coast Guard via Getty Images) (Handout/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 28: New Orleans residents sit in the Superdome, which is being used as an emergency shelter, before the arrival of Hurricane Katrina August 28, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina has sustained winds of 175 mph and is expected to make landfall in the Gulf Coast as early as August 29. Katrina killed at least seven when it moved through Miami-Dade County in Florida. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 31: Two men paddle in high water in the Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area August 31, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Devastation is widespread throughout the city with water approximately 12 feet high in some areas. Hundreds are feared dead and thousands were left homeless in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida by the storm. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later BILOXI, MS - SEPTEMBER 04: Parishioner Junius Cotten sits near the remnants of the bell tower at the conclusion of services at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina September 4, 2005 in Biloxi, Mississippi. The congregation gathered on the ruins of the church for the first service since the hurricane struck. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later BILOXI, MS - SEPTEMBER 1: Biloxi resident Sherry Finkelstein (L) bathes in an open fire hydrant September 1, 2005 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Residents are still without electricity, water or communications for a third day after Hurricane Katrina roared ashore, leaving a trail of destruction. Hundreds are feared dead in Biloxi after being trapped in their homes during the storms. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS, LA - SEPTEMBER 12: Neighborhoods are flooded with oil and water two weeks after Hurricane Katrina went though Louisiana September 12, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. U.S. President George W. Bush, on a tour of devastated New Orleans, rejected charges that the government was slow to respond to Hurricane Katrina because the nation's military was over-extended in Iraq and denied race component to Katrina response. Hurricane Katrina hit the region on August 29, 2005, causing numerous deaths and severe property damage in Louisiana and Mississippi. (Photo by Carlos Barria-POOL/Getty Images) (Pool/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later BILOXI, MS - SEPTEMBER 1: A car rests partially submerged in a swimming pool outside an apartment building destroyed by Hurricane Katrina September 1, 2005 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Residents are still without electricity, water or communications for a third day after Hurricane Katrina roared ashore, leaving a trail of destruction. Hundreds are feared dead in Biloxi after being trapped in their homes during the storms. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later WAVELAND, MS - SEPTEMBER 19: A patriotic display can be seen in the ruins of a home September 19, 2005 in Waveland, Mississippi. Scenes like these dot the landscapes where homes once stood. Rescue and clean up efforts continue in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina three weeks after the deadly storm hit. (Photo by Marianne Todd/Getty Images) (Marianne Todd/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 09: Houses are seen submerged under water September 9, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Thousands of residents of the Gulf Coast are still without electricity or access to basic amenities after the devastating hurricane swept through the area twelve days ago, likely claiming the lives of thousands. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: AUGUST 30: Mark Benton (R), of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, helps to rescue young family members after they were trapped on a school rooftop with dozens of others in high water after Hurricane Katrina August 30, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Katrina made landfall as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds in excess of 135 mph. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 31: Two men paddle in high water after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area, August 31, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Devastation is widespread throughout the city with water approximately 12 feet high in some areas. Hundreds are feared dead and thousands were left homeless in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida by the storm. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Mario Tama/Getty Images NA)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: AUGUST 30: Mark Benton, of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, helps to rescue three month old Ishmael Sullivan from a school rooftop after he and his mother were trapped with dozens of others in high water after Hurricane Katrina August 30, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Katrina made landfall as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds in excess of 135 mph. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 30: Jason Biggs pushes his wife Diane on a raft down Canal Street, flooded by Hurricane Katrina, August 30, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sixty people were dead and thousands left homeless in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama when Katrina roared ashore yesterday, cutting off power and leaving much of New Orleans flooded by water up to 20 feet deep in some areas. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Hurricane Katrina — A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 20: U.S. President George W. Bush (C) walks with U.S. Army Lt. General Russel Honore (L) and U.S. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen on the flight deck of the USS Iwo Jima September 20, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. President Bush traveled to the Gulf Coast to survey damage from Hurricane Katrina as rescue efforts and clean up continue in the areas hit by the deadly storm over three weeks ago. The Iwo Jima is expected to move to safer waters along with four other Navy ships as the region braces for Hurricane Rita. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

August 29, 2025 at 7:44 am EDT

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