Hurricane Katrina: The Storm that Shook the City

When Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, it didn’t just flood a city, it exposed the deep cracks in America’s infrastructure and the weakness of its disaster response systems. The Category 5 storm brought 140-mph winds, massive storm surges, and relentless rain that broke the levees and left much of New Orleans underwater. In the days that followed, entire neighborhoods were flooded, homes were reduced to splinters, and basic necessities like food, clean water, and medical care became nonexistent. The storm ultimately claimed more than 1,800 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands, scattering families across the country.

The tragedy also revealed the stark inequalities that shaped who suffered most. Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, many of them already struggling with limited resources, were hit hardest, both by the floodwaters and by the slow, uneven recovery process that followed. “We were stuck for days on end with no way of communication to anyone outside the city.” Katrina Witness, Candace said. Emergency shelters overflowed, communication systems broke down, and government aid was too slow for those with severe medical issues, leaving residents to fend for themselves in dangerous conditions.

As the 20th anniversary approaches, the new documentary Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time offers a powerful window into those harrowing days. Through survivor testimonies, archival footage, and expert analysis, it reminds us of the courage, resilience, and heartbreak experienced by those who lived through the storm, and honors the memory of those who did not. Katrina’s devastation was more than a weather event; it was a test of America’s ability to protect its most vulnerable citizens, a test that revealed deep flaws in preparedness, infrastructure, and equity.