New Orleans marks Hurricane Katrina’s 20th anniversary with parades, tributes

Gulf Coast residents commemorated 20 years on Friday since Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm and devastated areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Katrina killed over 1,800 people and wrought $80 billion in damages, U.S. Northern Command said Friday. New Orleans residents planned the annual parade commemorating the storm, along with other performances and tributes marking the 20th anniversary.

Gov. Jeff Landry released a Friday order formally memorializing Aug. 29 as Hurricane Katrina Remembrance Day and ordered all flags to fly at half-staff in reverence of the devastation. Louisianans continue to mourn 20 years later and are building back the state better than before, he wrote.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., shared a Friday tribute describing the state as being reborn in the decades since the storm. Leaders have been working resiliently to ensure this level of disaster never happens again, he said. Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., also emphasized the state’s resilience in a Friday morning video message. Hurricane Katrina is more than history, Carter said. The storm was personal and survivors carry the memories of pain and loss every day, he added.

How are locals commemorating? Local artists have mounted the memorial parade every year since 2006 in an attempt to bring people together after the storm. The parade, referred to as a second line, is expected to feature a brass band with thousands of attendees. The group was scheduled to start marching at around 10 a.m. local time beginning at the spot where the city’s levees broke during the storm. This will be preceded by a recitation of the names of those who died. The march is scheduled to end at around 5 p.m. local time with a free rally featuring speakers and performers.

The historic St. Bernard Parish planned to hold a memorial Mass Friday morning, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony. Americans across the country are also invited to honor Katrina’s victims with one minute of silence, at 11:20 p.m. local time. Several local museums and libraries also planned to host memorial exhibits and panel discussions about Katrina’s impact.

Dig deeper: Read Kristen Flavin’s 2015 report on the 10-year anniversary of Katrina’s landfall.