https://english.elpais.com/climate/2025-08-25/hurricane-katrina-survivors-describe-how-it-changed-their-lives-20-years-on.html

Hurricane Katrina survivors describe how it changed their lives 20 years on

Four residents recall the passage of the 2005 storm, which left 1,400 people dead and caused extensive property damage, and the recovery of New Orleans afterward

LUIS PABLO BEAUREGARD

New Orleans (Louisiana) - AUG 25, 2025 - 10:03 EDT

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Katrina caused $108 billion in property damage, making it the most expensive hurricane in history. Bobbie Green lives east of New Orleans and defines herself as a "Katrina baby." She was just nine when she was forced to evacuate the city with her family. She lived for a year in Houston, Texas. When they returned, her parents found their home severely damaged, populated only by stray cats in search of food. "I definitely suffer from extreme anxiety every hurricane season... I am always poised for either fight or flight," she says.

The storm shaped Green's future. She is now an environmental activist and educator who flags up climate injustices with the organization Black Girl Environmentalist. "Black and Latino people are still the most affected because we live in those low-lying areas and we are very attached to our homes. We fight against the gentrification that might force us out to other places," she explains. What bothers Green the most is how the population of New Orleans has been labeled resilient: "We are fed up with it. We are tired of being resilient. No one wants to face another Katrina," she says.

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