Katrina displaced 1.5M across the South, only 61% returned to New Orleans

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Hurricane Katrina displaced an estimated 1.5 million people across Louisiana , Alabama, and Mississippi.

About 40% of displaced New Orleans families never returned to their homes.

Louisiana counties most affected included Orleans, Jefferson, Saint Tammany, Saint Charles, Terrebonne, and Saint Bernard.

New Orleans population dropped by roughly 80,000 after Katrina, with lasting impacts on families and communities.

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