This month, many American media outlets are commemorating the 20th anniversary of the catastrophic weather disaster "Katrina" hurricane that terrified Americans.
The New York Times front page, August 23, 2005. A hurricane named "Katrina" caused a catastrophe in the United States, including 1,833 deaths, $200 billion in economic losses, and profound social impacts. Its destructive power mainly manifested in 80% of New Orleans being flooded, the failure of the flood protection system, and the collapse of post-disaster order.
This hurricane reached the highest intensity of Category 5, with wind speeds of 280 km/h at landfall and a minimum pressure of 902 hPa.
New Orleans was flooded in 80% of its area due to the breach of the levees.
This hurricane resulted in over 1,833 deaths and more than 1 million people displaced.
The flood protection system in New Orleans collapsed entirely due to design flaws, and the flooding lasted for weeks without receding.
Direct economic losses reached $200 billion (equivalent to $20.1 billion in 2025), setting a record for U.S. hurricane losses. The damage to oil facilities in the Gulf of Mexico triggered a surge in international oil prices, exacerbating economic chain reactions.
After the disaster, there were large-scale robberies and violent incidents, and police were forced to abandon rescue operations and switch to suppression.
The U.S. federal government delayed relief efforts by five days, and its emergency management capabilities were widely criticized.
In 2025, a 20th-anniversary memorial exhibition was held in New Orleans, continuing to reflect on the city's disaster resilience.
Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, the city remains in decline due to poor governance.
This week, one night, security guard Elan Gooch-Lee stood outside a hall in New Orleans and heard a clip from a documentary about Hurricane Katrina: footage of news anchors a few days after the storm, struggling to describe the destruction and human suffering, with tearful memories and saxophone playing sad yet stirring notes.
New Orleans made it through, but in the first few days and weeks after the devastating storm, this was not certain. The city looked as if it had been swallowed by the Gulf of Mexico, thousands of people struggling in the damaged Superdome, which had become the "last refuge," while the slow and chaotic response from the federal government heightened people's fear of being forgotten.
After the floods and trauma, New Orleans had ample funds, grand visions, and hopes; some of the worst and most harmful problems might be washed away forever. The city might not only stagger back to recovery, but also have better governance, better flood protection, better schools, and better public safety.
Twenty years later, most of these hopes remain unfulfilled. Bourbon Street suffered another hurricane, causing weeks of power outages, garbage collection chaos, and a pandemic that paralyzed the city's economy, triggering one of the nation's most severe spikes in violence. But many residents hope it can pursue higher standards rather than just barely surviving. "We can't be complacent," said Maxi McLellan, who runs an air conditioning repair business in the city's 7th Ward, "we should all be better off."
But this week, as the city commemorates the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, for many residents, merely surviving seems insufficient. Twenty years after the hurricane, the recovery of the New Orleans area still moves slowly.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841957902722140/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.