Hurricane Katrina: 10 Years Later

2015-08-28T13:20:12.000Z

Friday, August 28, marks the 10-year anniversary of the costliest natural disaster in US history.

Hurricane Katrina leveled entire neighborhoods, destroyed livelihoods, and brought thousands of lives to an abrupt end across the Gulf Coast.

Even with the $81 billion in property damage, there is also ample opportunity for growth. Towns rebuild, relationships strengthen.

Keep scrolling to see the transformation for yourself.

Ten years ago on Friday, Hurricane Katrina arrived on the Gulf Coast.

The storm tore through 90,000 square miles of land in New Orleans and Mississippi, an expanse of land larger than the entire state of Minnesota.

It left nothing but destruction and loss in its wake. The best estimates suggest 1,833 people died and 124,000 more lost their jobs.

hurricane katrina aftermath woman crying

In places like Biloxi, Mississippi; Waveland, Mississippi; and New Orleans, Louisiana; relief didn't arrive for weeks.

Life in New Orleans deteriorated as thousands waited to get evacuated outside the Superdome, living for days on end in urine-soaked, drug-infested conditions.

When FEMA finally arrived, the relief effort delivered water, food, clothes, and medical services to the region.

Habitat for Humanity began constructing houses for those displaced by the storm. These homes were delivered from across the country and assembled in the region itself.

habitat for humanity rebuilds after katrina

Ten years later, photographers revisited the people they captured in the aftermath. Their transformations are nothing short of unbelievable.

Once home to more than 20,000 helpless, emotionally wrung-out New Orleans residents, the Superdome has resumed its role as home of the New Orleans Saints.

Carlos Barria recreated shots he took in 2005, like this one of Michael Rehage squatting on the roof of his car.

Or this one, of Errol Morning sitting on his boat on a flooded street.

And this shot, of the Memorial Medical Center that lost power and scrambled to care for hundreds of critically ill patients.

Photographer Joe Raedle traveled all over the region. In visiting Gulfport, Mississippi, utility crews were dispatched to thousands of homes to restore power.

Brian Mollere lost his mother and his house in the storm. Ten years later, his house in Waveland, Mississippi, sits on the same slab left behind in 2005.

Mario Tama captured the restoration of New Orleans' severely damaged Ninth Ward. With help from the Make It Right Foundation, the area was able to get back on its feet.

The federal government allocated over $14 billion to the region, which now boasts the best flood control system of any US coastal city.

Major infrastructure has been put in place to avoid another disaster. Located in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West Closure Complex houses the largest drainage pump system in the world.

The New Orleans Land Bridge is located in nearby St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. It serves as a line of defense for approximately 1.5 million people.

At 1.8 miles long, the "Great Wall of Louisiana" protects downtown New Orleans from flooding and storm surge. It is the mother of all infrastructural improvements.

10 years after the devastation, the Gulf Coast — and New Orleans especially — is finally back to doing what it does best.

Celebrating culture through music, food ...

...and the people that live in — and are in love with — the city.

28 moving photos of the Gulf Coast 10 years after Katrina’s devastation

Ten years ago on Friday, Hurricane Katrina arrived on the Gulf Coast.

The storm tore through 90,000 square miles of land in New Orleans and Mississippi, an expanse of land larger than the entire state of Minnesota.

It left nothing but destruction and loss in its wake. The best estimates suggest 1,833 people died and 124,000 more lost their jobs.

In places like Biloxi, Mississippi; Waveland, Mississippi; and New Orleans, Louisiana; relief didn't arrive for weeks.

Life in New Orleans deteriorated as thousands waited to get evacuated outside the Superdome, living for days on end in urine-soaked, drug-infested conditions.

When FEMA finally arrived, the relief effort delivered water, food, clothes, and medical services to the region.

Habitat for Humanity began constructing houses for those displaced by the storm. These homes were delivered from across the country and assembled in the region itself.

Ten years later, photographers revisited the people they captured in the aftermath. Their transformations are nothing short of unbelievable.

Once home to more than 20,000 helpless, emotionally wrung-out New Orleans residents, the Superdome has resumed its role as home of the New Orleans Saints.

Carlos Barria recreated shots he took in 2005, like this one of Michael Rehage squatting on the roof of his car.

Or this one, of Errol Morning sitting on his boat on a flooded street.

And this shot, of the Memorial Medical Center that lost power and scrambled to care for hundreds of critically ill patients.

Photographer Joe Raedle traveled all over the region. In visiting Gulfport, Mississippi, utility crews were dispatched to thousands of homes to restore power.

Brian Mollere lost his mother and his house in the storm. Ten years later, his house in Waveland, Mississippi, sits on the same slab left behind in 2005.

Mario Tama captured the restoration of New Orleans' severely damaged Ninth Ward. With help from the Make It Right Foundation, the area was able to get back on its feet.

The federal government allocated over $14 billion to the region, which now boasts the best flood control system of any US coastal city.

Major infrastructure has been put in place to avoid another disaster. Located in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West Closure Complex houses the largest drainage pump system in the world.

The New Orleans Land Bridge is located in nearby St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. It serves as a line of defense for approximately 1.5 million people.

At 1.8 miles long, the "Great Wall of Louisiana" protects downtown New Orleans from flooding and storm surge. It is the mother of all infrastructural improvements.

10 years after the devastation, the Gulf Coast — and New Orleans especially — is finally back to doing what it does best.

Celebrating culture through music, food ...

...and the people that live in — and are in love with — the city.

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