The Legacy Of Hurricane Katrina, 20 Years Later

August 29 will mark the 20-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating storms ever to hit the U.S. mainland. Katrina ranks as the costliest hurricane in U.S. history, and the fourth deadliest. The storm caused an estimated $125 billion in damage.

Damage to ports, especially in Louisiana (New Orleans) and Mississippi (Gulfport and Pascagoula), was extensive. Buildings and facilities were destroyed or heavily damaged. Shipping channels were obstructed by debris and sediment, requiring significant dredging efforts. The Port of Gulfport sustained severe structural damage and required complete rebuilding.

Katrina devastated New Orleans, and the population has still not rebounded to pre-Katrina levels two decades later. Most of the damage was caused by the storm surge, rains and massive flooding, rather than winds. About 80 percent of the city was flooded as levees were overtopped, breached and overwhelmed. Storm surge also inundated nearby St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes.

After Katrina, about a quarter of New Orleans’ housing stock was abandoned. The Lower Ninth Ward (located below the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal) and St. Bernard Parish were virtually wiped out. The 17th Street Canal and London Avenue Canal breaches contributed significantly to the flooding of New Orleans neighborhoods like Lakeview and Gentilly. It took about six weeks for floodwaters to recede, with the Corps of Engineers pumping out about three quarters of a trillion gallons of water.

Katrina severely impacted the legacy of President George W. Bush, whose initial response to the disaster was criticized. Since then, the federal government has spent about $15 billion in infrastructure designed to prevent such damage again, including armoring drainage canals, installing pumping stations and strengthening levees.

Twenty-six days after Katrina came Hurricane Rita, which made landfall in Texas. Forty-seven platforms and four drilling rigs were destroyed by Katrina, with Rita destroying an additional 66 platforms and four drilling rigs. Oil and gas production was significantly shut-in, with some areas experiencing a total shutdown.

Katrina’s story would not be complete without the actions of the Coast Guard and Corps of Engineers—and the towboat and barge industry. Many companies at the time were able to position assets to avoid worse harm and to protect employees. The word “heroic” was often used by CEOs about barge industry employees. They were well-positioned to move supplies, round up barges or help those worse afflicted in whatever way they could. The houses of some barge executives and many mariners were destroyed or flooded, yet they lived at their offices and stayed on the job, continuing to direct efforts to help others.

The many lessons learned by fleets and barge companies during and after Katrina were put to the test and reinforced during later hurricanes like Gustav, Ike, Isaac, Harvey, Laura and, more recently, Ida.

No doubt, one important legacy of Katrina has been an enhanced level of coordination and communication within the industry, and between industry and government partners. An obvious example of this is the Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association’s Joint Hurricane Team Response Protocol.

As we near the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we at The Waterways Journal want to hear your stories from the storm. Where were you? How did you respond? What acts of heroism, service or charity did you see or receive? How has Katrina shaped you since then?

Send letters by email to frank@wjinc.net.