Two decades later, Hurricane Katrina’s lessons remain urgent

Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast — killing nearly 1,500 people and damaging more than 1 million homes across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama — its lessons remain urgent as climate change drives increasingly destructive storms.

Katrina’s 140 mph wind gusts pushed storm surges nearly 30 feet above normal along the Mississippi coast, submerging 80% of New Orleans. The storm displaced an estimated 1.5 million people and caused $125 billion in damages, still the highest total for any hurricane in U.S. history when adjusted for inflation.

Scientists say warming ocean waters played a role even then. A new Climate Central analysis found climate change increased Katrina’s sustained wind speeds by about 5 mph — enough, according to NOAA, to push damages up by 25% or m