(The Center Square) – An estimated 1.5 million people were displaced during Hurricane Katrina across Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, but most significantly from New Orleans.
It is estimated that 40% of displaced families did not return to the city.
As the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina arrives Friday, The Center Square spoke with former New Orleans resident Lauren Breaux, who was evacuated with her family during the destructive storm.
“We had evacuated many times leading up to Katrina,” Breaux said. “I think already once that year, so we were nonchalant about the entire situation. I remember we started to realize the gravity of the situation when we were driving home and our side of the road was completely clear going back into the city.
“We didn’t know until seeing the cars bumper to bumper trying to exit the city, how bad it was going to be.”
Breaux and her family lost their home, part of the $125 billion destruction caused by a storm that mercifully dropped from Category 5 to Category 3 when making landfall.
A study conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that 1.12 million of those displaced from their homes were living in Louisiana before Hurricane Katrina. Of the remaining evacuees, 288,000 were residing in Mississippi and 88,000 in Alabama.
“Once the levee broke, there was no hope for our home,” said Breaux. “We had water through our attic, and possibly above our roof, but we are not 100% sure since no one could be down there at the peak water height.”
Her family eventually settled across Lake Pontchartrain in Pearl River months after evacuating.
Saint Tammany, Orleans, Jefferson, Saint Charles, Terrebonne and Saint Bernard were among the most displaced counties in Louisiana during the storm. Each county had between 10,000 to 350,000 residents evacuated.
While Breaux and her family did not return to New Orleans, 61.9% of Louisiana evacuees returned to their prior residence after the storm. It is reported that on average, families who evacuated but returned to their former address were displaced for 33 days.
Those who did not return settled in other parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and Arkansas.
Now, the New Orleans population sits at 380,000, a drop of about 80,000 – or roughly a tick more than can fill the Superdome for Saints football games. The NFL team lost its home, too, relocating to various other “home” venues from San Antonio to New York.
Residents who moved back to the city had to rebuild or move entirely and still feel the effects of the storm 20 years later.
