Katrina's Warning Signs

Twenty years have passed since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The storm resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths in Louisiana and Mississippi, with New Orleans being one of the hardest-hit cities.

In the aftermath of Katrina, Congress and the president invested billions in building new flood-protection infrastructure to safeguard the city from future disasters. However, the city's failure to protect its residents, particularly during the New Year's Day terror attack on Bourbon Street in 2021, which resulted in 14 deaths, raises questions about the effectiveness of these measures.

The attack was perpetrated by an ISIS-aligned killer, highlighting the ongoing threat of terrorism. Yet, it is not only terrorism that New Orleans continues to grapple with. The city, known for its vibrant tourism industry, has 9% fewer leisure and hospitality jobs today than it did in 2004. This decline is reflective of the city's heavy dependence on tourism, which has been impacted by various factors over the years.

New Orleans' population has also been affected by Katrina. The city had about 454,863 inhabitants in 2005; today, the population of the greater New Orleans area remains approximately 13% below the pre-Katrina level, reflecting a long-term population decline in the hardest-hit neighborhoods.

Before Katrina, New Orleans was already a high-crime city, and this trend has continued. The city's economy had struggled before Katrina and has since reverted to its previous trend, with about 7% fewer private-sector jobs than in 2004.

The failure of the region's flood-protection system, built by the federal government's Army Corps of Engineers, contributed significantly to the impact of Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana's governor, Kathleen Blanco, and mayor, Ray Nagin, were criticised for their slow response to the crisis, with many people on rooftops and highways during the storm having to break through their own roofs to escape.

In contrast, the Bush administration took responsibility for the failures during Katrina, with Bush himself accepting criticism and acknowledging the need for improvement. However, from the financial crisis of 2008 to the lockdown-induced social disintegration of 2020, there has been a lack of long-term responsibility from public officials to fix issues.

More recently, the deaths of at least 134 people in Texas's hill country floods this summer, including two teenage counselors and 26 campers at Camp Mystic, have raised concerns about the preparedness of authorities to handle such disasters. The initial tales of crime and looting hampering rescues were spread by local officials, but many of these tales were found to be false.

The city's failure to protect Bourbon Street revelers with functional anti-vehicle bollards is indicative of its general negligence. Texas governor Greg Abbott described assigning blame as "for losers." Nevertheless, it is crucial for public officials to learn from past mistakes and strive for continuous improvement to ensure the safety and well-being of their constituents.