New Orleans marks 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with memorials, brass band parade

NEW ORLEANS — Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina crashed into the Gulf Coast, New Orleans is set to commemorate the anniversary Friday with memorials, performances and a parade to honor those who were affected. Katrina, which was a Category 3 hurricane when it made landfall in southeast Louisiana on Aug. 29, 2005, remains the costliest U.S. storm on record, with damage estimated at upward of $200 billion when adjusted for inflation, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. About 1,400 people died in five states. The failure of the federal levee system inundated about 80% of the city in floodwaters that took weeks to drain. Thousands of people clung to rooftops to survive or waited for evacuation in the sweltering, under-provisioned Superdome stadium. Survivors and city leaders are set to gather in the Lower Ninth Ward, a predominantly Black community where a levee breach led to devastating flooding that was exacerbated by a delayed government response. The event, sponsored by Katrina Commemoration Inc. and Hip Hop Caucus, will feature prayers and prominent loWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times