Katrina’s America: 20 Years Since the Storm
Event
You can view the agenda and speakers list for Katrina's America here: Katrina's America: 20 Years Since the Storm. This event took place at New America on July 16, 2025. You can view the event in its entirety below:
Two decades ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and the city of New Orleans, in the process revealing fault lines in the country's infrastructure, governance, and media, and also highlighting stubborn racial and economic disparities. The disaster and its fallout announced a new era in America and dramatically changed life for hundreds of thousands of victims in the Gulf.
Today, the fundamental questions that Katrina raised about America are at the center of policy and culture. Climate change is amplifying hurricanes, floods, fires, and droughts, and sending waves of people moving across the country and globe. A new racial awareness brought on in part by Katrina has been met with political backlash. In New Orleans and the Gulf, trauma and displacement still rebound among victims and their families.
What have we learned in the 20 years since Katrina? How exactly has America changed since then, and what exactly is the legacy of that disaster?
Join past and present New America Fellows, commentators, experts, and artists as they convene to consider the last two decades in policy, media, and culture.
Sponsors & Partners:
Katrina’s America is being organized and hosted in collaboration with the New America Fellows Program, the Future Security Program, which is a partnership with Arizona State University, and the New America Executive Office. The event is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.