Today marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city of New Orleans, killing at least 1,800 people and leaving in its wake devastating property losses topping $108 billion.

Louisiana evacuated an estimated 1.5 million people ahead of the storm.

I was a sophomore at Dillard University in the heart of New Orleans as that storm began barreling toward the Louisiana coast.

We had our dorm assignments, our class schedules were set, and tuition was paid. But plans to begin a new school year quickly changed. We got the order to evacuate about a week before Katrina made landfall, on this day, two decades ago.

Before Katrina landed, the president addressed the nation and residents along the Louisiana Gulf Coast.

“Hurricane Katrina is now designated a Category 5 hurricane. Can not stres

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