Remembering Hurricane Katrina

Ten years ago, those who lived along the Gulf Coast, experienced one of the worst natural disasters to date: Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina struck on Aug 29, 2005. “At least 1,833 people died in the hurricane and subsequent floods. It was the costliest natural disaster is U.S. history,” reports CNN.

Much of New Orleans was underwater and parts of the city were in ruins. Homes, buildings, churches completely destroyed.

A lightning bolt stricks above a destroyed church in the Lower Ninth Ward on Aug 5, 2006, photo: CNN
A lightning bolt stricks above a destroyed church in the Lower Ninth Ward on Aug 5, 2006, photo: CNN

Rebuilding took time but it did happen.

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Slowly life returned to normal for those in the Gulf Coast region.

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA --- Composite photo of scenes around New Orleans "Before" and "After" Hurricane Katrina: (TOP) People walk along Interstate 10 near the Louisiana Superdome early on August 31, 2005, in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. (BOTTOM) Traffic flows along Interstate 10 near the Louisiana Superdome on August 14, 2006, in New Orleans almost one year after Hurricane Katrina. --- Image by © Irwin Thompson/Melanie Burford/Dallas Morning News/Corbis
(TOP) People walk along Interstate 10 near the Louisiana Superdome early on August 31, 2005, in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. (BOTTOM) Traffic flows along Interstate 10 near the Louisiana Superdome on August 14, 2006, in New Orleans almost one year after Hurricane Katrina. — Image by © Irwin Thompson/Melanie Burford/Dallas Morning News/Corbis

According to datacenterresearch.org “The population of New Orleans fell from 484,674 before Katrina (April 2000) to an estimated 230,172 after Katrina (July 2006) — a decrease of 254,502 people and a loss of over half of the city’s population.(1) By July of 2014, the population was back up to 384,320 — 79% of what it was in 2000.”

After Katrina, some Gulf Coast residents sought housing in other states where they had family or friends. We want to hear from any of our readers who may have been affected by Hurricane Katrina. Did you move to Middle Tennessee after Hurricane Katrina? Did you have family and friends in the Gulf Coast region? Leave us a comment below.

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