Reflecting on Hurricane Katrina
Reflecting on Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath through the work of New America Fellows.
Blog Post
June 11, 2025
On July 16, New America hosted a full-day event titled Katrina's America: 20 Years Since the Storm, bringing together a range of commentators, experts, and artists to consider the legacy of Hurricane Katrina and what we’ve learned in the decades since.
Two decades after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the disaster’s legacy still shapes America. It exposed deep racial and economic disparities, strained infrastructure, and challenged our systems of governance and media.
Today, the questions Katrina raised—about climate, race, migration, and justice—remain urgent. As climate change intensifies and displacement continues, the impact of Katrina still reverberates, especially in New Orleans and the Gulf.