Thousands are expected to gather Friday in New Orleans for a series of memorials and festivities as the city marks the 20th year since Hurricane Katrina’s deadly landfall.
The Category 3 storm hit southeast Louisiana on Aug. 29, 2005, submerging vast swaths of New Orleans in roaring floodwaters and causing about $200 billion in damages, when adjusted for inflation. The storm killed more than 1,300 people, making it one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history. Exacerbating the death toll was the failure of federally managed levees.
Twenty years after the deadly storm, New Orleans is hosting a series of events and ceremonies to remember the victims and advocate for improvement of the city’s infrastructure and climate change preparedness…