20 Years Later: Remembering Hurricane Katrina’s Unprecedented Impact

This month marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina carved its name into the history books as one of the deadliest and most devastating natural disasters in American history. 20 Years Later: Remembering Katrina’s Unprecedented Impact

On Aug. 23, 2005, what began as a tropical depression near the Bahamas quickly gained strength, becoming the 11th named storm of the season — Tropical Storm Katrina. Just two days later, on Aug. 25, it made its first landfall near Miami as a Category 1 hurricane, downing power lines and flooding streets.

But the storm's most destructive chapter was still ahead.

After crossing Florida, Katrina entered the Gulf and rapidly intensified over warm waters, reaching Category 5 status with sustained winds topping 170 mph. On the morning of Aug. 29, 2005, Katrina mad