10 Years after Hurricane Katrina

Ten years ago in August 2005, Hurricane Katrina demolished New Orleans. With damage totaling up to $125 billion and a grand total of $250 bi...

Ten years ago in August 2005, Hurricane Katrina demolished New Orleans. With damage totaling up to $125 billion and a grand total of $250 billion in economic damage, Hurricane Katrina was the most damaging weather event in U.S history. Ten years later, not all of that damage has been fixed.

The population of the city has seen massive shifts. Pre-Katrina, the population of New Orleans was about 485,000. After Katrina, the number dropped to roughly 230,000. Last year, the population hit a recent high of 385,000 (only 79% of the pre-Katrina population). The black population of New Orleans has dropped by 100,000 and the white population has dropped 11,000. New Orleans is one of the most economically unequal cities in the U.S, second only to Atlanta. This inequality is split mainly along racial lines, as the income of black households is roughly 54% less than white households. 

In the years since Katrina, the Trem� neighborhood (known previously as a predominantly black community and the birthplace of jazz) has seen an influx of wealthy white families. The white population of the area has more than doubled, now at 36%, with 80% of whites arriving from outside Louisiana. Home values have risen substantially, tripling since 2000.

Another area that has seen a large rise in affluence is the Central Business District, home of the Superdome. The Central Business District is largely responsible for the massive amount of startups that have begun in New Orleans. Before 2005, New Orleans trailed significantly behind the national rate of business growth. Today, the city is ahead of the national average though still struggling to attract entrepreneurs and those with bachelor's degrees.

Further reading:

Is Our Infrastructure Ready For Another Katrina? : http://www.wired.com/2015/08/no-one-ready-next-katrina/

The Impact Of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/on-mississippis-gulf-coast-what-was-lost-and-gained-from-katrinas-fury/2015/08/26/2c00956a-4313-11e5-846d-02792f854297_story.html