10 Years After Katrina, Obama Will Visit a Much Safer New Orleans

"Ten years ago next week, a terrifying hurricane stood perched atop the Gulf of Mexico. Katrina. It had rapidly intensified from a Category 3 into a deadly Category 5 monster and began its northward turn towards the Gulf coast—weakening, fortunately, but still driving a tremendous wall of water.

Many in New Orleans thought they were protected by levees and seawalls. Instead, there were several breaches, and water streamed in to fill New Orleans’ geographical “bowl.” And we all watched, on TV, what happened after that—including 1,833 total deaths in the storm across its path of destruction, and an estimated $ 108 billion in total damage.

There has been growing attention to Katrina’s ten year anniversary, and now, the White House has announced, President Obama himself will travel to New Orleans, on Aug. 27, to meet with mayor Mitch Landrieu and city residents, using the occasion to highlight the impressive rebound that the city has seen. Additionally, several top members of the administration, including FEMA administrator Craig Fugate and OMB director Shaun Donovan, will either accompany the president or pay their own Louisiana and Gulf Coast visits."

Chris Mooney reports for the Washington Post August 19, 2015.

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SEJ Katrina@10 Roundup