Katrina's Legacy Shapes U.S. Disaster Policy 20 Years On

Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the storm’s legacy remains visible not only in the wreckage of New Orleans and surrounding communities but in the way the United States studies, prepares for, and responds to the next extreme weather event. With more than 1,800 lives lost and damage exceeding $200 billion, Katrina exposed systemic failures at multiple levels of government and prompted a sweeping overhaul of federal disaster policy that still guides decisions today. At the same time, policymakers debate whether recent reforms and investments have been sustained or eroded, raising concerns about readiness for future catastrophes in a warming climate.

The human toll of Katrina was staggering and uneven. Levees failed along the city’s flood-control system as an immense surge overwhelmed aging infrastructure, flooding 80 percent of New Orleans and isolating vulnerable residents. The disaster was felt far beyond the city limits, triggering a large-scale displacement that reshaped demographics and regional economies. In Georgia, for example, the influx of evacuees from Louisiana and Mississippi helped redefine schools, housing markets, and labor markets,...