The 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is being commemorated this month. Across the nation, we are remembering the heroes, lost lives and tough lessons about disaster preparedness when the infamous storm devastated southern coastal communities.
At 5 p.m. on Aug. 27, 2005, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin started a voluntary evacuation of New Orleans metro-area residents. And at 6:10 a.m. on Aug. 29, Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 on the Gulf Coast.
Later, a levee was breached in the Lower Ninth Ward, and more breaks were reported in the Industrial Canal and 17th Street Canal. Water began pouring into eastern New Orleans, the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish. Thousands of people were trapped on rooftops and in attics. At 11 a.m. on Aug. 29, Katrina’s strongest winds reached 125 mph as the peak storm surge hit Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi…